Thirty-seven people died last year in fires in Minnesota, the second-lowest number on record and the lowest number of fire deaths since 2009, according to final numbers released Tuesday by the Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division (SFMD).

That number is a 46 percent decrease from 2017, when 68 deaths occurred in Minnesota firs.

Fire death numbers become final once Minnesota hospital officials report their information to the Minnesota Department of Health.

In 2018, people age 50 or older accounted for 59 percent of people killed. Careless smoking was the leading cause of fires where a cause could be determined. There were no working smoke alarms in 30 percent of the homes where people died.

In 2009, 35 people died in fires in Minnesota, making it the lowest year on record.

The most recent fire deaths in Austin occurred in 2017, when a 58-year-old man was killed in a Feb. 17 fire and a 40-year-old woman died in an Aug. 25 fire. Both fires were the result of cooking.

“Fire safety is important to the Austin Fire Department and it begins with the individuals in the community being aware of their surroundings,” said Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy. “This involves making sure your smoke alarms have fresh batteries and are less than 10 years old, having an extinguisher, and being aware when you’re cooking. Fire safety begins with you at home.

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Number drop

The fire death rate in Minnesota has dropped 63 percent since the 1970s. Numbers below are deaths per 100,000 people:

1970s…………………..2.45

1980s…………………..1.86

1990s…………………..1.26

2000s…………………..0.91

2010s…………………..0.90