An elderly woman found slumped over a coal range in her Renwick home with burns to almost half of her body was cooking before she died, a coroner has found.
Margaret Rita Gould, 93, died on December 11 last year at Hutt Hospital, as a result of burns sustained in the fire at home.
She lived alone on a large property in Renwick, near Blenheim.
After hearing beeping from a smoke alarm about 3.30pm on December 10, a woman who lived in another part of the property ran towards Gould’s house, where she saw black smoke coming from the kitchen.
She went inside and found Gould in distress and slumped over the coal range with her body and clothing on fire and a log sticking out of the open firebox.
The woman extinguished the fire and doused Gould in water until an ambulance arrived. Gould had suffered severe burns to her body and was taken to Hutt Hospital for treatment, but did not recover from her injuries and died the following morning.
Police investigating the death found no suspicious circumstances or any indication of foul play.
Fire and Emergency specialist fire investigator Scott Randall found that the fire was started accidentally, with the firebox of the coal range the source of ignition and Gould’s clothing providing the first fuel.
It was his opinion that while cooking and stoking the fire, Gould either received radiant heat for long enough that her clothing ignited, or her clothes had come into contact with the open flame from the fire, or there had been an ember transfer from the fire to her clothing.
During a post-mortem examination, pathologist Dr Mark Tullett found Gould had suffered burns to 46% of her body, which was severe and life-threatening and could result in rapid death.
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Coroner Mark Wilton said Gould’s death was a tragic accident that highlighted the well-known risks involved with using fire in the home.
“She lived alone, was independent and living her own life. Notwithstanding her independence, her death falls within a certain demographic. Older people, especially those living alone, are at particular risk of dying in house fires in New Zealand,” he said.
FENZ said about 55% of fire deaths in New Zealand during the past five years were of people aged 65 or over, many of whom lived alone.
The organisation was engaging with other agencies that work with older people in the area to help spread fire safety messages and increase awareness of how to reduce the risk of fires in the home.
People with older friends and relatives were encouraged to check in on their fire safety preparedness, including making sure there was a workable fire escape plan, checking for fire risks associated with cooking and heating and checking they had working smoke alarms.
Coroner Wilton did not make any recommendations following Gould’s death but endorsed the fire safety advice from FENZ and extended his condolences to Gould’s family and friends for their sad loss.
rnz.co.nz
