Inquest warning about electric heaters after death of woman in house fire

A Donegal coroner has warned about the dangers of leaving material on heaters following the death of a woman from carbon monoxide poisoning in a Letterkenny house fire.

Pauline O’Riordan, 57, was found dead at her home at Newbrook Court, Letterkenny on January 8, 2018 after she had not been seen for a number of days. She was found lying on the floor of her living room which was covered in black soot.A forensic examination of the scene found a blanket made from synthetic material had caught fire after it was left on a  heaterThe inquest at Letterkenny’s coroner’s court heard that gardaí were alerted after a family friend visited the house.

Áine Crossan went to the house at around 2pm after a call from Ms O’Riordan’s daughter Cailin who said she had not been able to get in touch with her mother. She met a neighbour of Ms O’Riordan who was able to gain entry to the house through a window that had been left open before opening the front door.

Ms Crossan noticed the windows were blacked out which she thought was due to heavy curtains before realising it was caused by smoke damage.

When she opened the sitting-room door she got a blast of soot and a burning smell. She did not see Ms O’Riordan and phoned the gardaí.

Garda Darragh Sheridan said he arrived at the house at about 3pm and found a very fine black substance covering the room from floor to ceiling. There was also a smell of possible electrical burning. He found the body of Ms O’Riordan lying on her back on the floor with one leg resting on a couch.

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As part of the investigation, he carried out door to door inquiries in the area in the days after the fire.

Garda John Madigan, who carried out a forensic examination of the two-storey semi-detached house, said the smoke damage was confined to the living room.

He said two smoke alarms in the house were not fitted with batteries. Garda Madigan said there was no evidence that there was a third party involved in the fire.

Pathologist Dr Hajnalka Gyorffy said Ms O’Riordan had a history of depression.

The post mortem found burns on Ms O’Riordan’s right arm and wrist and evidence of soot in her lungs.

A report into the cause of the fire was prepared by consultant forensic engineer Paul Collins who said a blanket set on top of the heater had caught fire.

Once the power tripped, the fire went out, he said. The fire would have produced a tremendous volume of thick black smoke.

It was possible that Ms O’Riordan fell asleep on the couch and she would have been dying before she realised anything had happened, he said. The room would have been filled with an “all-encompassing" black cloud of smoke, he added. It was possible that she sat up at one point before falling onto the floor.

Coroner Dr Denis McCauley said the fire occurred on a cold night and for some reason

Ms O’Riordan had put something made from synthetic material over the fire, possibly to dry or air it.

Coroner Dr Denis McCauley said that while there was the presence of alcohol it was a small factor that may have made her sleepy.

He returned a verdict in line with the medical evidence of accidental death caused by carbon monoxide poisoning due to a fire. 

Dr McCauley said that while it was something that most people have done, he warned of the dangers of putting material on heaters, especially models that contain an element.

Expressing condolences to Ms O’Riordan’s family, he said he hoped that any questions they had about the death had been answered.