Minnesota fire deaths rose yet again in 2022

State officials are sounding the alarm about the relentless increase in the number of Minnesotans dying from fires.

Minnesota saw 70 fire-related fatalities in 2022, according to newly released data from the State Fire Marshal Division. That's the most since 1995, when 86 lives were lost.

Not only does last year's total mark a fourth consecutive annual rise from a near-record low of 37 in 2018, this year's tally signals more of the same. As of June 15, fire deaths through in 2023 stood at 21, compared with 17 at that time last year, according to state statistics.

Two deaths from residential fires in recent weeks in Minneapolis have pushed the state's total this year unofficially to at least 23.

"The majority of these deaths are not the result of social media challenges gone wrong that we sometimes hear about," Interim State Fire Marshal Amanda Swenson said Thursday during a virtual news conference, "but behaviors and actions that sometimes we take multiple times in our lifetime and then tragically something goes wrong."

The decisions and actions leading to fire-related deaths last year varied widely. Among them:

Twenty-nine fire deaths were linked to alcohol or drugs — prescription and illegal.

"While I am certainly not an expert on substance abuse or treatment, we do see a link between fatal fires and the use of drugs and alcohol," Swenson said in a follow-up interview Friday.

"Avoiding fire dangers when under the influence can be more challenging, so limiting or eliminating the impairment would certainly help increase safety."

Last year's statistics also revealed a sharp difference in the number of fire-related deaths in the Twin Cities area compared with the rest of the state.

Of the 70 fire deaths in 2022, 41 (59%) occurred in 30 counties outside of the seven-county Twin Cities area. That's 21.4 deaths per 1 million population. That rate is 2.2 times higher than in the Twin Cities area.

"This data is troublesome to greater Minnesota firefighters for a number of reasons," Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes said during the news briefing. "The first, we are already at a disadvantage because paid on-call firefighters staff many of these departments. … They consistently face the challenge of first having to arrive to the station, gear up and get on a truck before they even get to the emergency scene.

"When seconds count between life and death, we are imploring people to ask yourself a few questions: How am I putting me and my loved ones in danger? Could I be making different decisions, whether they are big or small, to my lifestyle to reduce fire risks? And what kind of behavior do I routinely engage in that puts me at the risk of a fire? We just ask that you help us help you in these situations."

Swenson noted that nine of the fire deaths last year were tied to careless smoking. "They include people who are improperly extinguishing their cigarette before going to bed or people smoking while on oxygen," she said.

On the prevention front, Swenson said fire sprinklers are a valuable tool in large multi-unit buildings as well as single-family homes.

"This is often a piece of safety equipment that is overlooked when considering building a new home but can be tremendously valuable in a fire situation," she said.

"Sprinklers not only give extra time for escape but often save structures from being totally consumed by fire."

Swenson also expressed surprise that many homes still do not have working smoke alarms.

"For the price of a few cups of coffee, a smoke alarm is a critical investment for when minutes and seconds count," she said. "Fire moves fast. It is not at all like the movies. The smoke is thick and black and can become deadly very quickly."