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Members of the Cecilton Volunteer Fire Department and Cecil County Department of Emergency Services responded to a home on Florida Avenue in Crystal Beach at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon to conduct a welfare check on a couple.
Upon arrival, they found Steven Hannaford unresponsive in the living room and his girlfriend, Marie Florczyk, 65, in a bedroom, shivering and disoriented, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
Hannaford was later pronounced dead, and Florczyk was taken by paramedics to a local hospital.
The Cecil County Sheriff's Office and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner requested the Office of the State Fire Marshal after initially responding to the home for the death investigation.
They discovered the home had no electricity, a strong odor of kerosene inside, and soot-covered walls.
According to investigators, a kerosene heater was the only source of heat in the home, and the heater's chimney was not sealed properly, with the fuel inside running dry.
The investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing, though "it is believed that carbon monoxide caused by the incomplete combustion of the kerosene heater was a contributing factor."
"This tragic event is a reminder to reflect on your own family's safety during difficult times due to weather," acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray said.
"Routine maintenance and safe operation of heating equipment, combined with properly installed and operating smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and practicing your home escape plans are a life-saving combination for all Marylanders,"
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