Blazes killed 14 people in Cleveland this year, the worst death toll from fires in nearly 2 decades

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Fourteen people have died in fires in Cleveland this year, the city’s highest fire death toll in nearly two decades.

The number of victims is double the seven from last year, and it is the worst year since 2006, when 25 people died. Fire officials fear the city is heading toward its worst season for blazes, as people tend to use more space heaters and overload electrical circuits.

The deaths included Markita Smith, 42, and Mary Smith, 71, who died in an apartment at East 91st and Wade Park Avenue earlier this month in a fire caused by candles, officials said.

In June, Cordale Sheffield, 30, died after an explosion at Rainbow Terrace Apartments. It destroyed 44 units and displaced more than 120 residents at the complex on East 70th Street and Garden Valley Avenue in Cle