Fire Fatalities Decline in 2013

Fewer Washington residents lost their lives in fires in 2013 than in 2012, according to a recent report by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

This is the second straight year that Washington saw a decline -- 54 fatalities for 2013.

With 91 percent of the deaths occurring in residences, fire officials are looking to inform and educate people to help save lives.

“We want to raise awareness about the danger of fire and the frequency of home fire deaths,” says state Fire Marshal Chuck Duffy. “How we and our communities fare in a fire emergency depends heavily on the planning and preparation that we put into practice.”

The most common cause of fire fatalities was electrical fires. Smoking was second.

Forty of the 54 fatalities were people at least 50 years of age.

The full report is available on the Washington State Patrol website.