No Kids Died In MA Fires Last Year For First Time On Record

MASSACHUSETTS — No children died in Massachusetts fires in 2020 for the first time on record, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey announced Friday. Children and seniors are typically the most at risk of dying in fires, Ostroskey said.

"To have no children, no one under the age of 18, die in a fire in Massachusetts is an amazing accomplishment," he said in a statement. "Through the 26 years of the Student Awareness of Fire Education Program (S.AF.E.), firefighters and classroom teachers have been helping to raise a fire safe generation of children."

There were 39 deaths from fires last year, down from 42 in 2019, according to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS). The deaths were all adults, and 15, or nearly 40 percent, were over the age of 65.

Thirty-one people died in their own homes, half of which had no working smoke alarms, Ostroskey's office said.

"Ultimately, responsibility for home fire safety rests with the adults in the home, but the S.A.F.E Program has brought key safety information on maintaining smoke alarms, practicing home fire drills, cooking, heating, candle and match and lighter safety home to those adults," Ostroskey said. "Goodness knows there’s nothing like being nagged by a 3rd grader to test your smoke alarm."

Just after the new year, a child suffered serious burns in a house fire in Oxford. Ostroskey said that reinforces the need for vigilance in keeping children safe from fires and burns.