Neighbours tried to save man, 70, from house fire
Coroner rules smoking materials were likely cause
NEIGHBOURS desperately tried to break into the home of a pensioner with terminal cancer after a fire which killed him broke out, an inquest has heard.
Michael Booth, 70, a ‘talented and creative’ but ‘immensely private’ retired joiner, perished in the devastating blaze at his terraced house in Stockport last summer.
A coroner has now ruled the fire was started accidentally and was most likely caused by the ‘unsafe use of smoking materials.’
He said Mr Booth’s reduced mobility as a result of his illness ‘may have also affected his ability to escape.’
The alarm was raised shortly before 7.30am on Saturday, August 19 last year after a neighbour of Mr Booth’s, on Churchill Street in Heaton Norris, was woken by the sound of a smoke alarm, the hearing was told.
She informed family members and contacted the emergency services.
Before they arrived, neighbours ‘gathered and tried to get into Mr Booth’s property’ but were unable to, the hearing was told.
Fire crews were on the scene within minutes and forced entry, with some neighbouring properties also evacuated.
After damping down the fire, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus found Mr Booth, who had suffered ‘severe burns,’ in the living room. His death was confirmed by paramedics.
A post-mortem found he had died as a result of both burns and smoke inhalation.
Giving evidence, Mr Booth’s sister Lynden Brookes said her brother had been a ‘skilled joiner’ working at a university for many years.
She said he ‘was a loner and a hoarder, but was clever.’ She said he liked outdoor activities such as fishing and gardening and was also an artist and made musical instruments.
The inquest was told that earlier last year Mr Booth had been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer and had been given a terminal diagnosis. This had resulted in reduced mobility and ‘physical deterioration associated with not being able to eat or drink as previously.’
Mrs Brookes said she and her husband Terry had been visiting his home to help him and that the day before, Friday, August 18, they went round in the evening after he reported having fallen.
On the morning he was discovered, they tried to ring him and couldn’t get through so Mr Brookes went round but when he arrived he was informed there had been a fire.
The hearing was told Mr Booth was a ‘committed’ smoker who his sister said smoked around 30 cigarettes a day.
She said he also used a refillable lighter several days before the fire and had received a package containing lighter fluid to refill it.
Detective Inspector Christopher Aunins, from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said forensic officers had examined the scene.
He said officers had carried out searches of the police systems as well as ‘extensive house-to-house enquiries’ and there was ‘nothing that raised any concern of any criminality.’
Watch Manager and Fire Investigator at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), Andrew Ball, said the locus of the fire was ‘around the sofa, to the rear of where Michael was found.’ He said there was evidence of a ‘low-level burn’ which suggested it ‘started around the sofa and may have burned through.’
He said an ashtray and ‘lots and lots of cigarettes, different types of cigarettes, some of which may have been there for some time’ were in the area and that he had concluded the ‘most likely source of ignition was smoking materials.’
He said due to what was in the room, including lots of soft furnishings, the fire ‘may have accelerated at some point.’
Mrs Brookes said: “If it was a discarded cigarette, if he had dropped it, he was mobile enough to make his way to the front door.”
However, Mr Ball said: “There’s a possibility he may have been drowsy.”
Assistant Coroner Chris Morris recorded a conclusion that Mr Booth’s death was accidental.
He said: “Mr Booth has been described as a talented and creative man, but also an immensely private man. He was proudly and fiercely independent.
“It is very clear from the evidence that the progress of his cancer was having a profound effect on his mobility which had become noticeably reduced.
“There is no suggestion or any evidence that this fire was started deliberately or that anyone sought to harm Mr Booth.
“I accept the conclusion of the pathologist that the medical cause of Mr Booth’s tragic death was burns and smoke inhalation.
“On the balance of probabilities, I also accept without question the conclusion of the fire investigator that the most likely cause of this fire is the unsafe use of smoking materials.”