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Ontario on track to surpass last year’s fire deaths, fire marshal warns

Oct. 11, 2022, Ontario – Ontario’s Fire Marshal says the province is currently on track to surpass the number of fire deaths recorded last year.

Jon Pegg says there have been 102 fire-related deaths reported in Ontario so far this year, including two over the Thanksgiving weekend.

He says the province saw a total of 125 fire deaths last year, which was one of the worst years on record.

Pegg says the winter months usually see the highest number of house fires due to the use of heating and if the current pace of fire-deaths keeps up, this year could see a record number of fatalities.

He says unattended cooking and careless smoking are the top two causes for house fires.

Pegg says people should have working smoke alarms and fire-escape plans to reduce the risk of death.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.