As fire deaths are on the rise in Alaska, so are the efforts to prevent them, according to a report released by the Division of Fire and Life Safety.
On Tuesday, the division released those statistics for 2017. The information was gathered from 170 participating fire departments throughout the state.
According to the data, there were 19 deaths last year, which is up 6 percent. Six of those 19 were children younger than 10.
Last fall, five young girls were killed from smoke inhalation during a fire that happened in the Butte. Investigators ruled that fire accidental and said cooking was the cause.
According to the division, every eight minutes an Alaska fire department responded to a call. Every 11 hours was a call about a residential fire and every two hours, they responded to a false call.
Attended fires were up 16 percent, the report said, but grass brush and wildland incidents down seven of every 10 structure fires were residential. Property loss was listed at over $95 million.