Minnesota fire deaths up; fire marshal offers 7 tips to be safe

With fire deaths in Minnesota already surpassing last year, state officials are pleading with citizens to be careful during the winter holidays, which are historically some of the most deadly months for house fires.

Forty-six people have died in fires so far this year in Minnesota compared 44 in all of 2014. There were 41 fire deaths at this time last year, officials said Monday. Since 1990, the state's averaged 81 residential fires over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and 187 residential fires between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

"We need people to be part of the solution by taking fire prevention seriously," Minnesota State Fire Marshal Bruce West said in a statement. "We do not want anyone else to suffer the heartache that comes along with a house fire."

West's office wants Minnesotans to use the hashtag #FireFree on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the steps they take to prevent fires in their homes.

The three leading causes of Minnesota fires last year — cooking, heating and open flame — are holiday staples. The fire marshal's office offered these tips to stay safe during the season.

1) Never leave a hot stovetop or oven unattended.
2) Smother a stovetop grease fire with a pan lid and turn off the burner.
3) Keep space heaters three feet from anything combustible.
4) Do not leave space heaters unattended and turn them off while you're sleeping.
5) Leave 3 feet between a candle and anything that can burn; use flameless candles.
6) Holiday decorations are combustible. Keep them three feet from any fuel source.
7) Never burn gift wrap in a fireplace; it burns too fast and hot to be controlled.