Caravan fire claims pensioners life
Posted on December 23rd 2009
A 66-year-old pensioner has died in his caravan after falling asleep with a lit cigarette, the flames spread quickly through the touring caravan causing Leslie Watson to die from smoke inhalation. Police and fire crews where quick to react to the blaze in High Wild Carr Farm, Patley Bridge, where after further investigation discovered how Mr Watson had died.
The owner of the farm Charles Swires told how he was alerted to the blaze by a neighbour and after alerting the emergency services he had tried to extinguish the flames himself. At the time Mr Swires did not know that Mr Watson was still inside the caravan so continued to attempt to put out the fire until the fire crews told him that they had found a body.
The investigating officer, Roy Ashman said: "If a cigarette drops on the right sort of material it will either ignite straight away or, if it drops on resplendent material like bedding, it can incubate for a period of time undetected by the person. If the person happened to be asleep they may get a very late warning that the fire is in progress. In a caravan a fire will propagate very quickly because of the materials it is constructed of."
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