Fewer New Yorkers killed by fire in 2019, FDNY says

Fewer New Yorkers died in fires last year than the previous year, making 2019 the 14th straight year where fire-related deaths have stayed below 100, the FDNY said Wednesday.

Last year, 66 New Yorkers lost their lives to fire, 22 fewer than 2018, the FDNY said. Fifteen people died from electrical fires while 13 were killed in cooking blazes. Fires caused by smoking led to eight deaths.

Other sources that led to fewer deaths include candles, incendiary, car fires, ignitable liquid, incense and self-immolation. 

In the past decade, the city saw a high of 88 fire-related deaths in 2018 and a low of 48 casualties in 2016. The deadliest year in the city’s history was 1970 when 310 people died in fires, the FDNY said in a news release.

Despite the decline in fire deaths, firefighters and emergency medical services members responded to a record number of medical emergencies last year, the FDNY said. New Yorkers last year made 563,920 life-threatening and 967,950 non-life-threatening calls, totaling more than 1.5 million emergency reports.

Fire officials credited firefighters’ swift response and teamwork for the 25% drop in fire-related fatalities in 2019.

“This outstanding achievement is the result of our members responding quickly, working together to remove those trapped by fire, providing unrivaled emergency medical care, thoroughly investigating fires, educating the public, and inspecting buildings and areas of public assembly throughout the city to ensure the safety of the public we serve,” Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro said in a statement.