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As family members of a Seneca Valley High School graduate who died in a fire Friday struggle to cope with their loss, they are planning a service to celebrate his life.

Evan Kullberg, 23, formerly of Germantown, died Friday morning after a fire broke out in a two-story apartment complex on Main Street in Frostburg, according to Bruce D. Bouch, a spokesman with the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Alyssa Salazar, 20, of Annapolis, was also killed.

"We're hanging in there obviously," his sister, Kathryn Kullberg, said Saturday from the family's home in Gaithersburg. "We're having a hard time, but we feel very warm and touched by all the caring thoughts and prayers from everyone Evan has touched."

The Kullbergs are planning a memorial service for Evan, but have yet to determine the date or location. Kathryn Kullberg said they are not referring to the service as a funeral, but rather a celebration of Evan's life.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but fire officials believe it originated in a common area in the back of the apartment building on the first floor; a wood stove is being considered as a possible cause, Bouch said. Autopsies for Kullberg and Salazar were scheduled for Saturday, but emergency responders believe they likely died from smoke inhalation.

A business major with a love for paintball and electric guitar, Evan Kullberg, a senior at Frostburg State University, co-owned a pizzeria called Malino's Pizza, his sister said. The pizzeria was housed in the space below his second-floor apartment.

Kullberg and Salazar were in their apartment and Salazar had called 911 twice before losing contact with responders, Bouch said. Ten other occupants were able to escape from the burning building unharmed, while three rescue officials were injured trying to extinguish the blaze. Bouch said damages are estimated at $200,000.

Evan Kullberg was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and later joined the Maryland National Guard, Kathryn Kullberg said.

"His goals were to be successful and to take care of his families and friends," she said. "He wanted to own another business and succeed in life."

Originally from New Jersey, Kullberg and his family moved to Germantown when he was in the first grade. When his father died seven years ago, Kullberg, despite being the youngest of three children, stepped up and became the man of the house, Kathryn said.

In Frostburg, students and the local community have been visiting the school's counseling center and seeking guidance from Father Ed Hendricks with the Catholic Campus Ministry.

"I think a lot of the students are in shock," Hendricks said Saturday. "It's something one does not expect – a peer to die at a young age, especially in a fire."

Hendricks said he has advice for those in mourning.

"I encourage them to talk about what they're feeling, not to hold it inside, and to be a source of strength and support for each other," he said. "We don't know when our time is and we should try to make the best of it."

A memorial vigil for Kullberg and Salazar is scheduled at 6 p.m. Sunday on the Frostburg University Campus at the Cordts Physical Education Center Main Arena.

"Evan was a real stand-up kid," Kathryn said. "He really cared about his friends and family and he will be greatly missed."

nnourmohammadi@gazette.net