VANCOUVER — A death-review panel launched by the British Columbia coroners' service has determined that children under 10 years old were far more likely to die in residential fires that those from ages 11 to 18.
The risk factors included substandard and overcrowded housing, a lower level of supervision and a home where smoking was present.
The review examined the deaths of 34 children who died in 22 residential fires over a decade.
It found that only eight homes had functional smoke alarms and that in four of the total cases, the fires were caused by young children playing with lighters or matches.
The panel makes three broad recommendations that include increasing education programs for children and improving access to fire alarms.
The province has also been urged to investigate the feasibility of mandating sprinkler system installation in new homes in B.C.'s building code.
