New York City Fire Department on Pace to Have Busiest Year in History

The New York City Fire Department is on pace to have its busiest year on record.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Tuesday that the department is set to top 1.6 million emergency calls by December 31.

That would top the previous high of 1.575 million calls set in 2012.

There have been 68 fire fatalities in the city so far this year, up one from all of 2013. That number includes the eight deaths caused by a gas explosion that leveled an East Harlem building in March.

Despite the slight uptick, the city is on pace to have its lowest number of fire deaths over a five-year period since records began being kept in 1916.