Fire death caused by phone battery, inquest hears
My ShrewsburyA fire that killed an 81-year-old woman in Shrewsbury started because of an overheated phone battery, an inquest has heard.
Dorothy Rose Roberts, known as Rose, died in her bedroom after the blaze broke out at her home, the 15th Century Perches House in the town centre on 27 January.
The inquest heard how her tenant, Luke Harrison, desperately tried to help her and heard her "screaming for help", but "the flames were so bad [he] couldn't get in".
Coroner Heath Westerman recorded a verdict of accidental death as "a result of thermal runaway of a lithium ion mobile battery", the court heard.
Firefighters arrived at the scene on Castle Street at 03:28 GMT, just four minutes after Harrison made the 999 call.
Fire Investigator Ross Donnelly, from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, told the inquest that crews faced "hazardous" conditions and "poor visibility" inside the building.
During their searches, using thermal imaging cameras, the victim's body was found "seated in a chair adjacent to the window".
Her phone had been near the head of her bead, next to "combustible bedding", Donnelly said.
The fire developed rapidly, partly due to voids in the 15th Century building's timber frames and "structural vulnerability of wattle and daub partitions", he added.
Forensic pathologists told the inquest the "thermal effects of fire were severe and were incompatible with life", and noted that "no suspicious injuries were identified".
While they said they believed "Mrs Roberts was alive when the fire began", she "became unconscious extremely quickly".
Her daughter, Jessica Richards, remembered her mother as "a very determined lady" and told the inquest how she had seen her earlier that day, before leaving at about 16:00.
She had suffered from various heart conditions, including respiratory conditions, she explained.
The coroner gave her "sincere condolences" to the victim's family and friends, not only for their loss, but for the loss of a historic house within Shrewsbury town centre.
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