The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated an explosion that resulted in a fatality on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
At 8:48 AM Saturday, the Stockton Volunteer Fire Company and the Pocomoke City EMS departments were dispatched to the 400 block of Silva Road in Stockton, Maryland for a reported camper trailer explosion with burn injury. Firefighters and Paramedics arrived and observed a camper trailer at the residence that had experienced an over pressurization along with an 80-year-old male victim with burn injuries on over 90 percent of his body.
Paramedics quickly requested the Maryland State Police Aviation Command – Trooper 4 stationed at the Salisbury Regional Airport for transport. The patient was treated at the scene before being transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, the State’s only adult burn trauma center. Regrettably, the patient later succumbed to his injuries from the explosion. The name of the victim is being withheld at this time.
The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene and conducted a thorough fire scene examination. Through the course of the investigation, it was learned the victim was attempting to use the stove inside the trailer at the time of the event. Evidence observed at the scene was consistent with a propane gas style explosion.
The cause of the incident was determined to be accidental. Fire Marshal Matthew Owens reminds citizens to not only have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home, but recreational vehicles and campers as well. If you cannot afford a smoke alarm, contact your local fire department for assistance.
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For further information contact Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Korb, Jr. at 410-632-5666 x2 or rkorb@co.worcester.md.us