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More multiple-death fires in Ontario this year: Office of the Fire Marshal

Click to play video: 'Three boys dead after fire tears through Brampton townhome'
Three boys dead after fire tears through Brampton townhome
WATCH ABOVE: A family and community are mourning the loss of three boys who were killed after a fire broke out in a townhome in Brampton. As Erica Vella reports, the cause of the fire is still under investigation – Jan 20, 2022

A fire that left three boys dead in Brampton yesterday is just the latest in a string of blazes that have together claimed 15 lives across Ontario so far this month.

The Office of the Fire Marshal, which is tasked with investigating such fires in the province, says the numbers of both fatal fires and deaths have dipped compared to January of last year, but there are significantly more deaths than in January 2020.

Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Beckett says that in January 2020, there were 10 fatal fires that left a total of 11 people dead, while in January 2021, 15 fires left 22 people dead.

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Beckett says fire deaths are always more common in the colder months, but this year, the number of fires that have left more than one person dead has increased.

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In addition to the Brampton fire, the OFM is investigating a blaze that left two people dead in Toronto on Wednesday night, one that left three children dead on Sandy Lake First Nation last week, and an explosion in Ottawa that killed six.

Beckett says fires are more common in the winter because people are more likely to use space heaters or smoke indoors.

Click to play video: '3 young boys dead after Brampton house fire'
3 young boys dead after Brampton house fire

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