Fire Deaths Down in Ohio - WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville

Fire-related deaths in Ohio have dropped significantly within the last year.

Fatalities dropped about 17 percent from 2011, which also saw a major drop from 2010.

Fire Marshal Larry Flowers says the cause of the majority of fatal fires was undetermined. Smoking and cooking led the categories when the cause was known.

Flowers believes one possible factor in the drop could be an unusually mild winter since heating sources can sometimes lead to an increase in fires in the coldest months.