An inquest heard that a Carlisle house fire which claimed the life of a mum-of-two went undetected inside the property without any smoke or carbon monoxide detectors.
Rebecca Crosby, 42, lived at Hadrians Gardens, off Brampton Old Road, and had worked as a bar and restaurant manager at the city’s Station Hotel.
At around 8am on December 13 last year, Rebecca’s 19-year-old daughter, Eden Byers, went to the privately rented address.
She entered and found her mum lying on the floor next to a living room door with significant property damage having also been caused by a fire during the night.
“She was pulled from her home unconscious by her daughter,” coroner Margaret Taylor noted at Cockermouth Coroners’ Court.
Neighbours were alerted and the emergency services attended. Firefighters and paramedics administered CPR but Rebecca was pronounced dead a short time later.
A joint investigation was launched by the police and fire service. A report concluded that the most likely cause of the fatal blaze was a chip pan being left unattended on an electric induction hob.
An investigator concluded that Rebecca had fallen asleep in the living room but not been notified of the burning pan because there was no working smoke alarms within the property — a fact which had concerned police who attended the address.
Without such detectors, the fire developed and poisonous carbon monoxide fumes spread throughout the property due to all external windows and doors being closed, and internal doors open.
“The fire continued for a considerable amount of time until it had consumed all the oxygen within the property,” stated the investigator. “It then burned itself out leaving the fire undetected until Eden returned home.”
A toxicology report showed Rebecca had earlier consumed alcohol and it was not uncommon, the inquest heard, for her to sleep heavily after drinking alcohol.
A pathologist concluded the cause of death was smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning.
“There were no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors in the house,” the coroner said as she concluded the hearing.
“Rebecca has clearly been overcome and has died as a consequence of the carbon monoxide poisoning and inhalation of the smoke. This is a tragedy and my condolences are offered to her daughter.
“My conclusion will be that Rebecca Crosby has died as a consequence of an accident, that being the fire.”
