Fire Leads To Fatal Cardiac Arrest For Harford County Man: Harford County Official

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A 45-year-old man went into cardiac arrest at his Abingdon home Tuesday night and while firefighters and paramedics were responding to the medical emergency, they found a fire in his home.

Shortly after 10 p.m., emergency workers from the Abingdon Fire Department were called to a home in the 3400 block of Albantowne Way. A family friend had found the man collapsed in the hallway of the home.

While paramedics were administering life saving procedures, firefighters noticed extensive heat throughout the the home and eventually discovered a fire had broken out in the victim's bedroom, which he appeared to have extinguished himself.

In collaboration with Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy State Fire Marshals have concluded a fire did break out in the bedroom but the cause remains under investigation. The victim was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore to determine the exact cause of death and where the victim will be positively identified.

A joint investigation between the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the local police department is a standard operating procedure in critical incidents or when a fatal fire occurs.