Cannabis spotting caused fire deaths
A mum turning a stove on to spot cannabis caused a tragic house fire in Palmerston North that killed her young daughter and the girl’s grandmother.
Eunice Felton, 6, and Bessie Tokona, 61, died on September 3, 2015, when a fire erupted in their two-storey state house on Exeter Cres in Palmerston North.
Coroner Tim Scott released his findings yesterday and said a report by a specialist fire investigator found the most probable point where the fire started was the stove’s back left element.
He found the two back elements on the stove were left on high by Eunice’s mother Nechia Tokona and that when the fire started, flames had reached and melted a fan about the stove.
This caused the motor to fall into or on to a pot full of cooking oil at the left hand rear of the stove, which fell to the floor and caused the fire to spread.
Scott said the only evidence as to how the elements would have been turned on was Nechia Tokona saying she left them on after spotting cannabis. Scott was surprised by the revelation. ‘‘She was under no pressure to disclose this information.’’
Initially, he thought she was trying to protect her son, who was the most likely candidate, prior to her admission, for leaving the stove on.
‘‘However, I changed my view because it was obvious to me and others that Nechia was extremely upset and crying. ‘‘Her reaction seemed genuine.’’ Scott said he believed Nechia Tokona had turned both elements on, one by mistake, for spotting cannabis, and said there was no other explanation as to how they came to be on.
By the time emergency services arrived at the scene, the house was well ablaze.
Nechia Tokona was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose, but was pulled away by police, who said it was too dangerous.
Eunice was found in her bedroom, but appeared to be dead. Scott said her grandmother could not be located.
‘‘Within a short period of time the firefighters themselves came under threat and needed to be rescued themselves.
‘‘Although they attempted to take Eunice from the building, they were unable to do so.’’
As the lower floor filled with thick smoke, some family members jumped from the second storey to escape, while others clambered down a wooden ladder that was fixed outside the house as a fire ladder.
Their escape was hampered somewhat by the upstairs windows in the house, which were fitted with safety latches, so they could only be open a small distance. Some chose to break the windows instead.
In keeping with Housing NZ’s policy that fire escape routes needed to be userfriendly for everyone, the escape routes from the house were designed to be the two internal stairways and the three doors from the ground storey, Scott said.
The coroner said he understood why Housing NZ would want fire escapes to be used by everyone and the reasoning for the window safety catches.
‘‘However, while I can understand the reasoning, I do not accept it.’’
These policies could have resulted in more fatalities he said.
‘‘When it comes to fires, surely the more escape routes the better, even if some of these cannot be used by all people all of the time,’’ the coroner said.
‘‘It seems to me that in respect of a fire safety catches on windows [they] are potentially death traps.’’
Specialist fire investigator Michael Finucane said the Fire Service preferred to see external ladders, but Housing NZ’s policy was acceptable and the main thing was households needed good working smoke alarms and an escape plan.
‘‘There was no evidence given about an escape plan and I strongly suspect that there was none,’’ Scott said.
‘‘It seems to me that in respect of a fire safety catches on windows [they] are potentially death traps.’’ Coroner Tim Scott