MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti) - Eighteen people in Moscow died as a result of fires during the first week of 2009, up from last year, even though there were fewer fires, an emergencies ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

"From the first to the seventh of January 2009, compared with the same period last year, there was a decrease in the number of fires - from 226 to 160," the spokesman for the Moscow department of the emergencies ministry said. "The number of deaths increased from 17 to 18 and the number of injured went up from 14 to 22 people."

Most of the blazes were in residential buildings, he said.

"The main cause of the deaths was careless handling of fire. The majority of victims were in a state of alcoholic intoxication and followed an antisocial way of life," he said.

The emergencies ministry stressed that this holiday season there had been less people reporting injuries as a result of fireworks. Last year, 65 people, including 19 children, were injured by fireworks, while this year 32 people were harmed, including five children.