Fifteen people were killed in fires in the first two months of 2024 in Connecticut, making it the most deadly start to the year in at least a decade, according to data from state fire officials.
“A couple of years, we’ve had starts like this,” said Roger Nelson, a Bloomfield fire marshal and vice president of the Connecticut Fire Marshals Association. “But this seems to be one after another after another.”
From Somers in the north to East Lyme in the southeast, there were 11 deadly fires in January and February, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The number of deaths is by far the largest in that time period since 2015 and almost five times the nine-year average of 3.2 deaths, according to data obtained by CT Insider.
Those who died ranged in age from 5 to 95.