Rodents to blame for fatal Stevensville fire

A fire that happened earlier in March, and killed a man, was apparently caused by rodents chewing on wiring.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office says the March 7 fire was reported by a neighbor of the Romancoke Road home, just before 6:10 PM. The one alarm fire reportedly brought 30 firefighters from the Kent Island and surrounding fire departments to the scene, who then had it under control in about ten minutes.

Officials say in the initial fire department entry, crews located and removed the 77-year-old Bjorn Pederson from the house, and rushed him to University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown, where he was pronounced deceased. Investigators say the fire started in the first floor ceiling, between the the ceiling and the second floor joist space.

There was apparently evidence showing that a rodent had entered the joist space and chewed on wiring, which allowed electrical arcing to ignite combustibles. The fire caused an estimated $40,000 in damages. Investigators say there were no working smoke alarms in the home at the time of the blaze.