MINNEAPOLIS — Following a report released on Thursday showing that fire deaths were on the rise in Minneapolis, Minneapolis fire officials said two people in the city died from the injuries they suffered in fires.
The victims were a 79-year-old man who was hurt on June 9 in a fire on Holmes Avenue South and another person injured on June 15 at a fire at a triplex on Barton Avenue Southeast.
These deaths bring the total of fire fatalities in Minneapolis to 8 in 2023.
On June 15, The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reported that in 2022, 70 people died in fires statewide.
"To say Minnesota had 70 fire deaths in 2022 is oversimplifying the data," Interim State Fire Marshal Amanda Swenson said. "These deaths weren't a result of social media challenges gone wrong. Many stem from lifestyle and behavioral decisions."
The SFMD and partnering agents and fire departments will spend the remainder of 2023 working to prevent fire deaths. The outreach effort will involve partnering with community groups, investing in fire education programs, and attempting to inspire behavioral changes at the personal level.
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