Mum died in blaze in her garage

A MUM-of-two was alerted to a fire in her home by her pet cat but died in a separate fire in her garage the same day, an inquest heard.

Clare Alliston sent a text message to her friend describing how she had ‘nearly burnt to death’ in the living room of her house on Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, on the day she died in December last year.

The 44-year-old’s body was found by firefighters who extinguished a big blaze in the outbuilding at the bottom of her garden.

Neighbours on Barlow Terrace described hearing a ‘large bang’ from the garage where she stored a large amount of her cooking equipment, including camping stoves and gas canisters.

Fire service investigator Clive Smith said the blaze would have likely developed very quickly, in under three minutes, giving off toxic gases in the process and it was so intense it caused a metal beam on the ceiling to collapse.

Clare, who was a smoker, was found behind the door with a lighter in her trouser pocket and tests showed she had died from smoke inhalation.

The caterer, who had travelled the world providing food for music tours, was struggling with mental health problems, believed to be bipolar disorder or depression, at the time of her death and her behaviour had become ‘more erratic.’

Clare, originally from County Durham in the north east, also had financial difficulties and had lost her mum, ex-partner and a friend over a number of years which had a ‘big impact on her,’ the hearing was told, and she was ‘struggling to cope.’

However, her family said she was a devoted mother and she never showed any intention or signs she had – or intended to – harm herself.

The coroner ruled she had started both fires with a naked flame but he could not be sure she intended to take her own life. The remnants of a small fire were found in the living room of the main house where an old birthday card and a throw had caught alight and part of the sofa being singed, but fire investigators said they believe that was out.

Clare’s close friend Simon Crompton had received two text messages at 4am on the morning she died, saying ‘I have just nearly burnt to death’ and ‘My sofa nearly set on fire. Thank god for [her pet cat] Fang, she woke me up.’

She was found to have a ‘significant’ amount of alcohol, around two and a half times the drink-drive limit, in her blood as well as cocaine and an anti-depressant drug she had been prescribed. Recording a narrative verdict, assistant coroner Zak Golombeck said: “The deceased took her own life – however, the question of intent remains unclear.”

Paying tribute to her from the witness box, her brother Neil Alliston said: “She loved her kids, but in general she just had a very caring side. It was almost as if she cared about others more than herself. It was never the case that she would do anything to harm herself.”

Mr Crompton, who met her when he was working as a roadie, said in recent meetings she seemed ‘more and more lost’ due to her deteriorating mental illness and that ‘at times it was harrowing to watch.’