A CORONER issued a warning about the dangers of smoking under the influence of alcohol after a woman was killed and two firefighters badly burned in a Sheffield house blaze started by a discarded cigarette.
Assistant deputy coroner Catherine Mason said the fire which killed Carmel O'Neill and left firefighters Ian Tape and Grant Baugh severely injured was completely avoidable.
Miss O'Neill, aged 45, was found by firefighters at her home in Hill Top C
rescent, Waterthorpe, and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Northern General Hospital.
A Sheffield inquest heard Miss O'Neill had been drinking heavily before the fire broke out on February 1 and had gone to bed. Toxicology reports found she was more than four times the legal drink-driving limit.
Station manager Neil Baugh, based at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue headquarters, said: "We understand from speaking to various people that Carmel had been smoking and, as a result, we believe a carelessly discarded cigarette set fire to some combustible material."
Mr Baugh said flames spread to the sofa and other items in the living room. The door was open, causing smoke and gases to spread upstairs, and the house was not fitted with a smoke alarm.
A post-mortem examination found Miss O'Neill died from smoke inhalation and severe acute alcohol intoxification.
Recording an accidental death verdict Ms Mason said: "This was a tragic death that could have been avoided. It really brings home the dangers of smoking under the influence of alcohol."
Firefighter Tape, 32, suffered 35% burns and continues to require medical treatment. His colleague Grant Baugh, 27, suffered 12% burns.
The full article contains 274 words and appears in Sheffield Telegraph newspaper.
