A verdict of accidental death was recorded last week on two elderly people who died as the result of a fire at a care home earlier this year. At the joint inquest in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire coroner, Michael Howells, heard statements and evidence from witnesses who were at the Old Rectory Residential Home, Gumfreston, during the early hours of February 5, when 84-year-old Nellie Mae Walsh died, and five others were taken to Withybush Hospital, including 88-year-old Albert Henry John Thomas (known as Jack), who died three days later. The private home, which is owned by Keith and Rosemary Whittmore, looks after 19 elderly people, with both Mrs. Walsh and Mr. Thomas moving into the home in 1998. Among witnesses giving evidence at the two-day hearing were carers who worked at the home, and firefighters and paramedics who attended the scene once the alarm was raised. Denise Bates, a carer, who was on duty at the time of the fire, recalled how a resident at the home alerted staff to the fact that she could smell smoke. "As soon as I was told about the smoke by the concerned resident, the fire alarm sounded and after checking the panel on the fire alarm box, I could see that the alarm had gone off in zone five, which was on the first floor," she explained. The emergency services were immediately alerted and arrived on the scene within eight minutes at 3.38 am. Tenby firemen Nicky Rees and Mark Tucker were the first to tackle the blaze, with firefighter Rees recalling the moment they spotted where it had originated. "Once we went upstairs to the first floor, we could see through the thick smoke that the fire was coming from the airing cupboard, so we extinguished the flames as we moved towards them, and then went on to carry out a rescue search throughout the rooms on the floor," he said. On entering room eight, Mrs. Walsh's room, firefighters Rees and Tucker lifted her off her bed and carried her out, where she was taken downstairs to receive CPR, as she was motionless and did not appear to be breathing. "I made sure that her airway was clear of obstruction, as she was not breathing and there was no activity to her heart and no pulse," explained Gareth Jones, a paramedic with the Welsh Ambulance Service, who was downstairs treating residents who had been caught up in the fire, "but after 25 minutes of trying to resuscitate her, there was still no activity." Mother of eight, Mrs. Walsh was pronounced dead on the scene, due to inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, with Mr. Thomas, who was one of the five residents taken to Withybush Hospital for treatment, dying three days later due to bronchial pneumonia and exposure to hot gases and smoke. One of the factors that probably caused Mrs. Walsh to inhale more smoke than other residents on the same floor, was that she insisted on leaving the door to her room ajar. "Mrs. Walsh was a very strong character and if you closed the door after carrying out a check on her, she would shout to leave it open," said Christine Hughes, another carer at the home. After investigations were made into how the fire started, fire officer Richard Brock, of the Pembroke Dock station, revealed the probable cause to be an electrical fault in one of the two distribution boards inside the airing cupboard. "An electrical fault would have triggered the fire to start, causing the linen stored inside the cupboard to ignite, and although the door to the cupboard was to remain shut at all times, the air pressure from the fire could have caused it to be pushed open, allowing the fire to spread into the corridor," he explained. After hearing all the evidence and statements, in summing up, coroner Mr. Howells said that the "root cause of the two deaths was smoke inhalation." "Due to to her door being open, Mrs. Walsh probably absorbed more smoke than the rest of the residents, which is why she was probably affected more than anyone else." But the coroner added that the fact that her door was left open was something that no-one could be criticised for, "as she was entitled to exert a certain amount of control over her environment, which at the end of the day was now her home." Continuing, Mr. Howells said that the Old Rectory home had been regularly inspected over the years, and there had never been a suggestion that it had been improperly run or any electrical points overlooked or failed to be checked. "Given the fact that it has been determined that the fire was started in one of the two distribution boards in the airing cupboard, and that there was no apparent fault in either board that anyone could have done something about, the only verdict that I can conclude is one of accidental death for both," stated Mr. Howells.
