2022 Minnesota Fire Death Toll Highest in 27 Years
St. Paul, Mn (KROC-AM News) - The number of fire deaths in Minnesota last year was the highest in more than a quarter century.
The State Fire Marshal's Office today reported there were 70 deaths that occurred during fire-related emergencies in 2022. That is the highest death count since 1995 when 86 people perished due to fires in Minnesota.
In a majority of the cases last year, the cause of the deadly fires could not be determined. That classification accounted for 40 of the 70 cases. 12 of the fatalities were ruled accidental, 9 occurred because a person was smoking while using oxygen, and 3 were blamed on gas leaks. 5 of the fire-related deaths were ruled suicides and 1 was investigated as a murder.
The statistics also indicate 13 of the deaths involved traffic crashes that resulted in a fire and 29 occurred when drugs or alcohol was present. Both drugs and alcohol were present in six of the cases.
A summary of the report ends on an ominous note. The State Fire Marshal's Office says fire deaths this year are already ahead of where they were a year ago.
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