No Children Died In Massachusetts Fires Last Year For The First Time On Record

BOSTON (CBS) -- No one under 18 died in fires in Massachusetts during 2020, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office. This is the first year that has happened on record.

The Fire Marshal attributed the accomplishment to the Student Awareness of Fire Education Program.

"Ultimately, responsibility for home fire safety rests with the adults in the home, but the S.A.F.E Program has brought key safety information on maintaining smoke alarms, practicing home fire drills, cooking, heating, candle and match and lighter safety home to those adults. Goodness knows there's nothing like being nagged by a 3rd grader to test your smoke alarm," said State Fire Peter Marshal Ostroskey.

On Monday, a child in Oxford suffered serious burns due to a fire at a home daycare. "That reinforces how vigilant we must be to keep our children safe from fires and burns," said Ostroskey.

In 2019 and 2018, there were two child deaths each.

Preliminary data from the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System shows there were 38 fire deaths in 2020. This is down from 42 in 2019. Half of the deaths occurred in homes where there were no working smoke alarms.