Deadly house fires are on the rise in North Carolina.
Officials say there have already been more deaths linked to house fires this year than all of last year. About one in six calls made to Triangle fire departments involve house fires. In some cases, those fires are deadly.
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A map from the Department of Insurance shows the number of deadly house fires reported over the years. In 2017, there were 71 deaths from house fires. This year, there have been 116 deaths -- and 31 occurred in January alone.
State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor says, with two months left in the year, that's alarming. "We are probably in the top 10 in the country, but there is a rise nationwide, but a lot of the fire deaths we have seen were because of the cold snap earlier this year," he said.
Taylor says there are two reasons for the spike in house fires -- two thirds of those homes didn't have working smoke alarms, and some homes didn't have a smoke alarm at all.
The state also recently changed the way house fires are tracked. Local stations have now 48 hours to report them, compared to up to four months previously. This makes sure that all fires are quickly on record.
October is National Fire Prevention Month, and you can protect you and your family by having a working smoke alarm in your home. You can purchase one at a low cost or contact your local fire department about programs -- like those organized by the American Red Cross -- to get a smoke alarm installed for free.