A 44 year-old man from Gurney Valley died after his cigarette accidentally ignited the chair he was sitting in and caused a house fire, an inquest has heard. Durham Coroners’ Court was told how Ernest Brian Metcalfe was found in the attic room of the property at around 1am on Monday 10th June. Firefighters had rescued another man and a woman from the house in Gurney Valley, but were unable to reach Metcalfe.
Lee Asprey, Fire Investigation Manager, described how the chair had been completely destroyed in the blaze and the rest of the attic room had suffered extensive damage. He also said that there were signs of old cigarette burns in the carpet and on a sleeping bag.
Ernest, who had been known to smoke in his bedroom, had twice visited Close House Club earlier that day and was the equivalent of three times over the drink-drive limit.
Deputy Coroner for County Durham, Crispin Oliver commented, “The most likely scenario is he had been smoking and he accidentally ignited the chair he had been sitting in.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
