An inquest has heard how family members battled in vain to save a grandmother from a house fire.
The inquest at Boston Coroner’s Court today (Wednesday) heard that her chair was just 44cm from the appliance, so parts of her body would have been even closer.
Mrs Bunn, a heavy smoker, suffered with dementia and had been known to be careless with cigarette ends. It was said that she had had a cigarette just before the fire broke out.
In a statement read by assistant coroner Murray Spittal, Mrs Bunn’s son Michael (64 at the time) told how he was confronted by a fierce blaze and saw his mother engulfed in flames.
Vera was settled into her granny annexe, which adjoined the main house, and given a cup of tea.
The inquest heard that she always felt the cold and the heater was often on along with the main heating. Vera was still wearing heavy clothing and her coat when Dorothy returned to the main house.
Dorothy went into the kitchen and could smell smoke. She immediately called her husband.
In his statement, Michael said: “I opened the door into my mother’s lounge. I saw my mother was fully alight.”
He fetched a washing up bowl of water and threw it over her but it had no effect. He then broke a window and pushed a garden hose through, but again his efforts to douse the flames proved futile.
Other family members helped Michael before firefighters arrived, but there was nothing anybody could do. The inquest was told that Vera’s death would have been “rapid”.
“The products of combustion do contain a number of toxic gases and inhalation of these gasses would render the deceased unconscious after only a few breaths.”
