Madawaksa Valley Fire Department Urges Safety as Ontario Fire Deaths Spike

The number of fire related fatalities provincially has seen a spike over this time last year.

According to the Madawaska Valley Fire Department, 51 people across Ontario have died in fires this year so far. This time last year they say that number was 31, marking an increase of 65%.

The department suggests reducing the number of fatalities by having a working smoking alarm and to practice your home escape plan. They say if you discover a fire or your fire alarm goes off to get out, saying a fire doubles in size every 30 seconds. The Department says to call them from a safe distance away from the flames, which can reach almost 600 degrees Celsius in a matter of minutes. The Department says  that there is no reason for smoke alarms to not be installed in this day and age. They say because the ongoing pandemic they have been limited in how many inspections they can do.

The Department urges everyone to check their smoke alarms so the community does not have the next preventable fatality. They say that only working smoke alarms save lives.