A total of 18,377 people, including 701 children, died in some 231,000 fires last year, about 4.7 percent fewer deaths than in 2003, the ministry said in a statement.
More than 13,600 people were injured, 2.7 percent fewer than the previous year, it said.
The majority of fires _ 72.4 percent _ took place in residential apartments or houses, and most of those were caused by the careless handling of inflammable materials or electrical equipment, the statement said. The number of arson fires grew by 6.4 percent, compared to 2003.
Russia's annual number of fire deaths is nearly five times that of the United States, which has twice the population.
Experts say fire fatalities have skyrocketed since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, in part because of lower public vigilance and a disregard for safety standards.
