The Office of State Fire Marshall and the Maine State Police are investigating the deaths of two individuals found inside a residence at 505 N. Wade Road in Wade on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.  Troopers and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the home at approximaely 11:15 am for a welfare check and confirmed that both occupants were deceased upon arrival according to a press release issued late this afternoon by Shannon Moss, Public Information Officer, Maine Department of Public Safety, Augusta.

FMO investigators were requested to respond.  They determined that the furnace exhaust pipe inside the residence had been improperly installed and had become disconnected, causing exhaust fumes to vent directly into the home.  Evdience suggests the victims likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The victims have been identified as Brian Merchant, 64, and Laurie Ridgway, 56, who lived dtogether at the residence.  The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta will conduct examiations to determine the official cause of death.  The State Fire Marshall’s Office reminds Maine residents to ensure that working carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms are propertly installed in their homes and that heating systems are regularly inspected.  No further informtion is being released at this time.