Massachusetts Marks 2 Years With No Child Fire Deaths

The Berkshire Eagle reports the State Fire Marshal's Office marked a significant milestone on Tuesday — it's been two years since the last child died in a fire in Massachusetts.

“On January 8, 2021, I announced that for the first time on record, there had been zero child fire deaths in a calendar year," State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a news release. "Today marks a new milestone. It has been two whole years since a child has died in a fire in Massachusetts.”

The last fatal fire in Massachusetts involving children occurred in Pittsfield in March 2019, when two children and an adult were killed in a house fire on Lakewood Circle in Pittsfield.

So far this year, there have been 12 fire deaths and most of the victims were people over 65. “Regardless of your age, make sure you have working smoke alarms that are less than 10 years old on every level of your home and practice your home escape plan,” Ostroskey said.