Phila. has record-low year in fire deaths

PHILADELPHIA For the second year in a row, Philadelphia recorded a modern-day record-low number of fire deaths in 2013.

Fires caused 24 fatalities last year, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers reported Thursday.

The city recorded 25 deaths in 2012, seven fewer than the year before and less than half the 52 that occurred in 2005 and 2006.

The new figures are a stark contrast to the fatalities suffered in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 1980s, Ayers said.

Fatalities last topped 100 in 1989, Ayers said. The city's records date to the early 1950s.

Ayers attributed the turnaround to improvements in the way buildings are made - including the required use of smoke alarms - enforcement of fire codes, and fire-prevention education.

The Fire Department suffered one on-duty casualty in 2013: Capt. Michael Goodwin, 53, died in April battling a blaze in Queen Village. His death is recorded separately from those of the 24 civilians.

Of the 24 deaths, six resulted from fires caused by electrical wiring.

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Phila. has record-low year in fire deaths