BURNING tea lights in a house which was cluttered up to the height of a full-grown person played a major role in a reclusive woman’s death.
Carol Padgett died on March 17 last year after flames took hold in the living room of her home on New Street, Mapplewell, at around 5.30pm, an inquest in Sheffield was told.
She was rescued by firefighters ‘within seconds’ of them entering the semi-detached house but was pronounced dead at the scene. Her Jack Russell, Patch, also died.
An inquest, held in Sheffield last Friday, revealed the 58-year-old was ‘grossly emaciated’ to the point where she in a perpetual state of starvation.
A post mortem found ketoacidosis was present in her body, which normally occurs in diabetic people but is also found when a person has not eaten for between three and 14 days.
Pathologist Dr Naomi Carter said the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Graham Toms, who conducted an investigation into the incident for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, told the inquest that one of the tea lights lit by Ms Padgett had fallen onto a chair.
“Ms Padgett was found near her doorway and was brought outside within seconds,” he said.
“It was cluttered inside - in the living room it was up to chair height and in the front bedroom clothes and papers were head height.
“We’re sure that the fire had been smouldering for a long period of time, growing in temperature, until it ignited into its full burning phase. Temperatures could have been up to 600C by that point.”
An initial police investigation was reopened following the post mortem, which found several stab wounds - albeit superficial - to Ms Padgett’s neck.
Her blood was found on a pair of scissors in the living room, which police concluded was down to recent self-harming.
Peter Mosey, her partner of 17 years, shared the home but often worked away.
The inquest was told he had arranged for a GP, Nigel Palmer, to carry out a home visit - but her arms were too thin for a blood pressure machine to provide a reading.
Mr Mosey, who was working around 130 miles away when he was told of the fire, said: “We enjoyed going away but after one trip over Christmas, all of a sudden Carol became reclusive. She lost her teeth and didn’t want to go out and see a dentist.
“I got her a dog to keep her company while I was away but I just couldn’t get her to go out, not even to walk the dog.
“Her diet was very limited. When I was home from work one weekend, I did a full food shop and when I got back the following weekend, it was untouched.
“I asked her about it and she said she couldn’t swallow, so I arranged for the doctor to come out. I always encouraged her to eat but I just didn’t want to seem like a stuck record when I was home.”
In his conclusion, coroner Steven Eccleston recorded the cause of death as accidental as a result of a house fire.
“It’s clear the fire started in a very cluttered house,” he said. “It smouldered and turned into a larger fire, which emitted a significant amount of carbon monoxide.
“It was an accidental death with no third-party involvement and I must express my sincere condolences to her family. This was a shocking death.”
