Officials say fire deaths were down by 22% last year

BOSTON (AP) - The number of people who died in fires in Massachusetts last year dropped.

The Boston Globe reports that the state Department of Fire Services says 45 civilians died in fires in 2018, down from 56 in 2017. That’s a 22% drop.

Two firefighters died in fire-related incidents in 2017. One firefighter died last year.

Fires last year resulted in several hundred injuries and almost $230 million in property damage.

Local fire departments report the statistics through the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System.

The numbers also show that the total number of fires declined by 9% year over year.

Last year more than 25,000 fires were reported, compared to nearly 28,000 in 2017.

Smoking was the leading cause of structural fire deaths in 2018 at 33%.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com