More people died in or after a fire compared to recent years

MANCHESTER, N.H. — With less than two weeks left until the new year, the state’s fire marshal’s office said in 2024, more people died in or after a fire compared to recent years. Most recently, Rickey Bailey, 61, died on Monday in a Massachusetts hospital following a house fire in Canaan the night before. The fire marshal’s office reports 12 people died from 11 unintentional fires in 2023, and nine people died from fires in 2022.  The state reminds residents that it’s never too late to create a home fire escape plan.