Number of 2026 fire deaths in Minnesota likely to surpass last year's total

EAST GRAND FORKS — As the number of fire-related deaths in Minnesota this year is likely to surpass last year s total, the state fire marshal is urging Minnesotans to be mindful of potential fire risks in the home. Minnesota so far this year has 57 confirmed fire-related deaths, with another seven probable deaths that could push the total to 64 as of September. Last year s total was 60 fire-related deaths. This is a 10-year trend that, unfortunately, we ve seen in Minnesota, where more people are dying from fire today than 10 or 20 years ago, Fire Marshal Dan Krier said. It s not related to an increased population; we re trying to dive deeper into identifying what are those causes. Krier said a lot of fatalities are for people 60 years old or older, as older individuals may be less mobile in the event of a fire and less physically able to make needed fire upgrades or preventive measures around their homes. Fire death data in North Dakota for 2025 and 20