DERBY — Fire Marshal David Marcarelli sent along the following information:
Fifteen people were killed in fires in the first two months of 2024 in Connecticut, making it the deadliest start to the year in at least a decade, according to data from the state fire officials. Most deadly fires happen where people live, and there are generally more fires in the winter, when people spend more time indoors and turn on the heat. However, smoking, cooking, and burning candles are among the top causes of unintentional fires.
About half of the fatal fires this year happened at night or in the early-morning hours, when people tend to be sleeping and fires can smolder undetected, especially if there are no working smoke detectors.
In addition, many people try to extinguish fires themselves, before calling 911. In most instances, the fires grow too rapidly, causing individuals to either flee the residents, or be burned in the process of attempted extinguishment. A fire can double in size every 30 seconds.
