29.6 per cent decline in fire-related deaths for 2025

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is reporting a 29.6 per cent decline in deaths related to fires in 2025, marking another year of progress in its national fire-prevention efforts.

The figure reflects continued momentum following last year’s 15 per cent reduction in fire-related deaths.

JFB Commissioner, Stewart Beckford, told JIS News that the entity has been working diligently to address what has long been considered “a far too high rate of fire-related deaths occurring in the country.”

“In total for 2025, we had 19 deaths, 14 adults and five children, as opposed to the 27 we had in 2024,” he said.

Of the adult fatalities, 36 per cent (five persons) were between ages 39 and 64, while 64 per cent (nine persons) were between 65 and 85 years old.

“This is very concerning to us [as] the number of children who died in fire last year increased by one, moving from six to seven. Regrettably, at the start of last year, we had a triple death at a home in St Ann, and that would have resulted in the number that we are seeing…and those ages range between one and seven,” he told JIS News.

The commissioner also reported that 84 persons were injured as a result of fires in 2025, including on-duty fire fighters and civilians.

“About eight firefighters [and] 76 civilians were injured, consisting of 74 adults –

69 males and five females, and two children – one male and one female. This reflects an increase of [15.15] per cent when compared to the 66 [injured] civilians recorded in 2024,” he said.

“Injuries to firefighters would have been reduced by 38.4 per cent when compared to 2024,” he added.

In addition to loss of life and injuries, Beckford also pointed to the wider social consequences of fires.

“For last year, we saw 1,862 persons, including 506 children, being made homeless as a result of fires and this is in comparison to the 1,636 persons, including 440 children, who were made homeless in 2024, representing an overall increase of about 13.8 per cent,” Beckford said.

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