Malfunctioning Furnace Emergency Call of Dec. 17 Verified at Rose Hill Home of Ron and Corinne Llewellyn

After being alerted to the presence of emergency vehicles in the 900 block of Virginia Avenue late afternoon Wednesday, December 17th, this reporter rode by and found multiple emergency units with lights flashing around the entrance to the Rose Hill estate of former county supervisor Ron Llewellyn and his wife, Corinne. A call to Warren County Fire & Rescue led to a conversation with Deputy Chief Gerry Maiatico, who confirmed a Virginia Avenue emergency call, but with limited information on the identity of the involved residents due to Federal “HIPAA” (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act) guidelines.

However, the following day, shortly after 5 p.m., a press release about the incident cited the emergency call address as 905 Virginia Avenue. That is the address of the main entrance to the Llewellyn’s Rose Hill home. On Friday afternoon, December 19, this reporter tried again to contact Ron Llewellyn by phone to obtain a report on his and his wife’s conditions, and the call was successful.

Ron Llewellyn verified the incident and described a situation upon returning home from a 15 to 20-minute run to the Post Office, after both he and his wife had returned home from work about 4 p.m. to find what he described as a “hazy, odorless film” inside the house. Upon his return from the post office run, the situation had rapidly deteriorated. After some extensive searching, he found his wife semi-conscious on the floor. He roused her to find her dizzy and slurring her words. As he attempted to extract her from the house, he also began feeling weak and dizzy and unable to lift his wife further. Unable to reach the closest phone, he had the presence of mind to yell, “Siri, call 911 — And Siri called 911,” he said with a nod to the response to Siri’s 911 call.

“The  Police and Fire & Rescue did a wonderful job,” Ron said of the Town and County emergency units’ quick arrival and what he perceives as likely lifesaving actions in removing them from the now-poisoned old house. He said the couple spent 9 hours at the hospital after being transported from the scene on Wednesday. He added that the readings at their home indicated a carbon monoxide level of 500, which he said is four times the potential lethal dose.

Ron and Corinne Llewellyn in Royal Examiner file photo taken during an interview at Rose Hill in 2024. Royal Examiner File Photo Roger Bianchini

Perhaps ironically, Llewellyn said the couple had their furnace serviced a week prior to the incident, with it’s being cited as “all OK” by the technician.  He said he believes an accident at the home in 2024, in which a tree fell on the old house may have damaged accessory facilities supporting the furnace’s operation.

Below is the December 18, Fire & Rescue Press Release in its entirety:

“On the afternoon of December 17, 2025, at approximately 5:21 p.m., Warren County Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a reported residential structure fire at 905 Virginia Avenue. Dispatch advised responding units that one adult had exited the residence and was unable to remove a second adult female occupant.

“Crews arrived on scene approximately four minutes later and located both adult patients in the driveway, where they had been assisted out of the residence by the Front Royal Police Department. Immediate patient care was initiated for both individuals exhibiting symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide exposure. Both patients were moved to ambulances, treated with advanced life support care, and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

“Upon investigation, crews determined there was no active fire. Extremely elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected throughout the residence and were attributed to malfunctioning equipment. Crews safely isolated the equipment and ventilated the residence for an extended period. It was also noted that there were no functioning carbon monoxide alarms in the home at the time of the incident.

“Warren County Fire and Rescue would like to emphasize the importance of having properly installed and working carbon monoxide alarms and smoke alarms in all residences.”

And we will close with a nod to the Front Royal Police, Warren County Fire & Rescue, and Siri for their roles in likely saving the Llewellyn’s  lives.