According to a recently released report, 75 people died in New Jersey fires in 2010, 73 of whom were civilians. Of those, 57 died in residential fires, 14 in vehicle fires, one in a garage, and one outside. More men (48 or 66 percent) died than women (25 or 34 percent). Two of the deaths were children, and 20 were those over the age of 65.
The most frequent cause for fatal fires was careless smoking in the bedroom, followed by kitchen fires. Electrical fires and cooking fires were the next most frequent cause of these occurrences. Middlesex County had the most civilian fatalities, with 13, followed by Camden with nine and Passaic and Ocean Counties with seven apiece. January and February were the months with the most civilian fatalities.