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Michigan's January fire deaths up 144 percent over 2021

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Officials say Michigan’s fire-related deaths rose significantly in January as the state began THIS YEAR (2022) with 144% more deadly fires than it saw during the same month last year.

The state’s fire marshal and department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said Friday that Michigan’s Bureau of Fire Services recorded 18 fires and 22 associated deaths last month.

That's a 144% increase compared to January 2021.

Officials said in a statement that those 22 deaths “were all accidental and preventable.”

January’s deadly fires included a January 17th fire at a multi-family dwelling in Pontiac that killed two men and injured five people.

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