The report out of Lansing late last week is heartbreaking: Michigan’s January fire deaths were up 144% over January 2021.

What adds to the heartbreak is state fire officials said the deaths “were all accidental and preventable.”

The report from Michigan’s Bureau of Fire Services recorded 18 fires and 22 associated deaths last month, the state’s fire marshal and department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said. These agencies said that’s a 144% increase in fire deaths compared with January 2021.

This January’s deadly blazes included a Jan. 17 fire at a multi-family dwelling in Pontiac that killed two men and injured five people.

Fire isn’t always preventable, but people can take precautions and make plans to help mitigate the possibility that a home fire could turn deadly.

In fact, Michigan Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer said state residents need to boost their awareness of fire safety precautions, including making sure their homes have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

And they also should have a fire escape plan.

“It is important to talk about fire safety with our parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors, and help them prepare their home to be more fire safe,” Sehlmeyer said in a statement.

The report said the three major causes of fatal fires in Michigan were cigarette smoking, heating devices such as space heaters and fireplaces, and cooking.

According to a state fire fatality report, most residential fires started in the living room or in a bedroom.

We urge everyone to take a few minutes to talk about fire safety with their loved ones and to make an escape plan — including where to meet up once you’re safely out of the burning structure.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs’ Bureau of Fire Services offered these other tips in January to make homes more fire-safe:

— Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and inside every sleeping area and check the alarms by pushing the test button every month.

— Never smoke in bed; keep lighters and cigarettes away from children.

— Never leave lit candles unattended; place them in sturdy holders on uncluttered surfaces, keeping them at least 1 foot away from anything that can burn, including curtains, bedding, furniture and carpeting.

— Have fireplaces, chimneys, wood stoves and coal stoves inspected annually by a professional and cleaned if necessary. Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended.

— Use caution when using space heaters; never leave them unattended, keep them at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, and place them on a hard, nonflammable surface, such as a ceramic tile floor.

— Do not overload extension cords and be sure to replace frayed extension cords.

— Never overload electrical outlets; plug only one heat-producing appliance into an outlet at a time.

— Major appliances should not be plugged in using extension cords or plug strips; plug appliances and space heaters directly into the wall electrical outlet.

— Clean the dryer lint screen after each load — lint is extremely flammable.

— Have fire extinguishers in the home and know how to use them.

— Make sure all doors and windows leading outside can open easily and are not blocked by furniture or clutter.

— Sleep with the bedroom door closed, with a smoke alarm in your bedroom; this can save lives by reducing toxic smoke levels and slowing down the spread of fire and smoke into bedrooms.

— If you need to escape out a window, close the door between you and the fire before opening the window to escape, as a closed door slows down the spread of fire and smoke as you escape.

For more safety information, go to the Bureau of Fire Services’ website at www.michigan.gov/miprevention.

Lives can be spared when precautionary plans are made and that would be a wonderful thing.