PIKESVILLE, Md. (WBOC/AP)- The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office says fire-related deaths in the state fell by 22 percent last year.
The agency said Thursday that preliminary figures show that 52 people died from fire injuries in 2012, down from 67 in 2011. It is also 13 percent below the previous record low of 60 fire deaths recorded in 2006 and 2008.
State Fire Marshal William Barnard said fire safety compliant cigarettes are a leading factor in the downward trend since 1988. A state law passed in 2007 requires that cigarettes sold in the state be designed to extinguish more quickly than standard cigarettes.
Barnard said a 20-year-old requirement for fire sprinklers in newly built, multi-family dwellings is another significant factor in the decline. He also credited fire safety programs involving educational outreach as another reason for the decline.
