So far this year, there have been 23 fire fatalities in the state of Alabama.
“You’re looking at, on average, seven fire fatalities a month," said Scott Pilgreen, Alabama’s state fire marshal.
Compared to this time last year, the number of fire fatalities is up. According to the Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office, at this time last year, there were 21 fire fatalities.
“I think it’s fair to say that we’re probably a little bit above the last two-year trend. Again, we’re just hoping that it slows down," Pilgreen said.
On Tuesday, a 7-year-old boy died in a house fire in Butler County, and earlier this year, an elderly man in a wheelchair was unable to escape from his burning home.
“That still puts Alabama probably in the top 10 per capita in the number of fire related deaths that we have, and we have to change that number," Pilgreen said.
This topic is personal to Pilgreen, as he fell victim to a house fire years back.