Man Killed in Fire After Using Stove to Warm Home Among at Least 10 Who Have Died amid Winter Storm

Mar. 15, 2025

Snow is seen on I-45 North during a winter storm on Jan. 21, 2025, in Houston.Photo:Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty

Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty

A major “once-in-a-generation” winter storm that slammed a number of states across the Gulf Coast and Southeast has claimed the lives of at least 10 people.

Dale County coroner John Cawley confirms to PEOPLE that a 37-year-old man from Pinckard, Ala., died in a fire on Tuesday, Jan. 21, after he used his stove to warm his home amid freezing cold temperatures.

The coroner said the victim, who has not yet been identified, possibly took sleeping medication and passed out. His exact cause of death is unknown pending toxicology results.

Cawley also confirmed the Jan. 21death of a woman whose vehicle crashed in a snow-covered roadin Ozark.

In Georgia, officials said that one person has died as a result of the weather, according to NBC affiliateWSAV. Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Chris Stallings said that an individual with critical needs went outside the evening of Monday, Jan. 20 and died of hypothermia.

21: Snow is seen in downtown Houston during a winter storm on Jan. 21, 2025 in Houston.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty

Over in Texas, theZavala County Sheriff’s Officesaid five people died as a result of a Jan. 21 crash involving a semi tractor trailer and a passenger minivan on the Nueces River Bridge.

An investigation from the Texas Department of Public Safety [DPS] is ongoing.

“With this winter weather comes harsh road conditions,” the sheriff’s office said in a post on social media.  “Unfortunately it has kept our department along with Texas DPS busy."

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AsUSA Todayreported, the storm slammed Texas before heading east, withLouisiana receiving its first-ever blizzard warning— and New Orleans ended up getting 10 inches of snow at Louis Armstrong International, which ties a 130-year-old record, according toNola.com.

Other parts of the South likely broke snowfall records due to the storm, theAssociated Pressreported. For instance, Milton, Fla, experienced 9.8 inches of snow, according to the news agency.

Jackson, Miss., may have also broken a record, with Ocean Springs residents reporting about 9 inches of snow, according to theClarion Ledger. If confirmed, that would break the record of 5 inches previously set in 2010.

Additionally, the storm resulted in numerous stranded motorists and thousands of canceled flights, reportedCNN.

The agency warned that the cold temperatures and wind chills pose an increased threat of hypothermia and frostbite.

“Protect pets, livestock, and exposed plumbing to avoid over-exposure to the cold,” the agency added.  “Have a cold weather survival kit if traveling, and fill up fuel tanks/batteries so that you can stay warm if you become stranded.”

source: people.com