Tuesday 16 June 2009

Woman 'who lived for smoking' died in fire

By Hannah Seaman

A DISABLED woman who smoked 30 cigarettes a day died in a bedroom fire after refusing to have a smoke alarm fitted because she feared her habit would set it off, an inquest heard.

Pam Eaves, 58, a mother of three, suffered from multiple sclerosis and died from smoke inhalation after a smouldering cigarette fell from an ash tray on her bedside table, setting her underwear drawer alight.

It happened just days before Christmas last year with her uncle and carer of 35 years, Kenneth Wardly, 77, asleep in the next room.

Choking back his tears, Mr Wardly said: “There was no smoke alarm in the flat as she wouldn’t have one installed in case her cigarettes set it off when she was smoking in bed. I should have had one fitted but smoking was all she lived for.”

Sheffield Coroners Court heard that ten years previously Mrs Eaves narrowly escaped injury in another house fire where a cigarette stub set her bedroom alight.

But despite this she refused to have a smoke alarm fitted at her ground floor flat on Hazlebarrow Crescent, Jordanthorpe, because one was constantly triggered by her smoking whilst on a caravanning holiday in Scarborough.

Mr Wardly said: “I lived in fear of it happening again and that is why I used to stay over and check on her.”
But Richard Hutton, Fire Investigation Officer, said that cigarette smoke would not be able to trigger a fire alarm as it contains different particles to other sorts of smoke.

He said: “South Yorkshire Fire Service could have fitted a free smoke alarm and due to Mrs Eaves’ disability we would even have fitted her flat with a free sprinkler unit.”

The inquest heard that Mr Wardly discovered the fire after the smell of smoke woke him at around 6.45am.

He said: “I thought the Christmas tree was on fire but then realised it was coming from Pam’s room.”

He said he then went into her bedroom and found it filled with a haze of smoke.

“I went over to Pam and shook her by the shoulders but I realised she was dead.”

Mr Wardly then called the emergency services who later pronounced Mrs Eaves dead at the scene.

A post mortem confirmed that she had died from breathing smoke.

Investigations showed that she was woken by the smoke and had tried to remove the drawer which had been smouldering for around two hours. It was found discarded on the carpet.

Mrs Eaves weighed 17 stone and due to her disability had not been able to move to escape the fire. Instead she was forced to succumb to the fumes which contained carbon monoxide.

The fire later burnt out due to a lack of oxygen.

Coroner Judith Naylor said that the inquest had learnt that the belief that cigarette smoke sets off fire alarms is a misconception.

She said: “Mrs Eaves’ death was a tragedy that could have been avoided. I hope this will prevent a similar tragedy happening to another family.”

She recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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