FDNY: Fire deaths fell in 2019 amid 'unprecedented period'
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: A fireman walks back to an FDNY fire engine as it tries to make a turn onto Broadway on November 28, 2018, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of people who died in New York City fires fell to 66 in 2019, even as crews responded to a record high number of medical emergencies.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Wednesday that firefighters are responding more quickly to free New Yorkers trapped by fire. He said the city recorded 25 percent fewer fire deaths than in 2018.
“This marks the 14th consecutive year there have been fewer than 100 fire-related deaths, an unprecedented period in New York City history,” the Fire Department said in a news release.
Fifteen deaths in 2019 were attributed to electrical fires, according to the release, while 13 were caused by cooking.
The city's deadliest year for fires was 1970, when 310 people died.