Finding out about:: Fire related deaths
A few people we talked to had lost someone in a fire. Karen’s mother died in 2007 when her house caught fire. How the fire started is unclear; the coroner concluded it was an accidental death.
Alison’s young children and her estranged husband died in a fire; Alison was away at the time. The coroner ruled that Alison’s daughter's body was so badly “fire damaged” that the cause of death remained uncertain, though she had died before the fire started because she had not inhaled any fumes. The coroner also ruled that Alison’s son was unlawfully killed. He survived a knife attack and strangulation, but died in the fire fumes. Had Alison's husband lived he would have been charged with murder.
Sally’s mother died in 2007. Her flat caught fire, probably from a cigarette. An overdose of painkillers may have made her mother been a bit drowsy, perhaps causing the accident.
Last reviewed October 2011.
Last updated October 2011.
