Residential fire deaths among firefighters decline
The United States Fire Administration is out with its latest report on residential fires, and for the second year in a row, the number of firefighters who died while battling home fires has fallen.
According to the USFA report, last year 87 firefighters from 31 states lost their lives during 83 incidents at residential buildings. Of those who died, more than half were attributed to heart attacks, the leading cause of death for on-duty firefighters.
When counting the number of deaths in individual states, the report found that the most fatalities occurred in New York and Ohio with eight in each.
Other findings from the report revealed the leading causes of residential building fires and during which months of the year they tended to occur. At 44 percent, cooking was the leading precipitant of home fires with blazes peaking in the month of January.
The USFA's report was based on data collected from the National Fire Incident Reporting System. "Residential buildings" include family dwellings, dormitories, halfway houses and assistance living facilities.
To reduce the risk of fire and prevent a homeowners insurance claim in the winter, the Insurance Information Institute recommends homeowners have their heating system serviced once a year.
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