Ex-miner died trying to tackle house fire

Feb 20 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A PENSIONER died in a house fire when he tried to tackle the fierce blaze himself instead of escaping to safety and raising the alarm, an inquest was told yesterday.

Retired miner Danny Muldoon, 68, could have got out and alerted the fire service or used a pull cord to contact a warden control centre when the fire broke out in the bedroom of the flat where he lived alone.

Instead the independent father of three got a bucket of water from the kitchen sink, put a cloth over his face and tried to put out the flames himself.

Tragically he was overcome by choking smoke and fumes and was found dead on the kitchen floor by firefighters who forced their way into his badly-damaged flat on the Red House Farm Estate in Bedlington, Northumberland.

Yesterday south-east Northumberland coroner Eric Armstrong said it appeared that his independent frame of mind, combined with the fact that he had drunk about three pints of beer, made Mr Muldoon believe he could deal with the blaze himself rather than waiting for the fire service.

Mr Muldoon was found dead in February last year when two fire crews went to his flat after a passer-by spotted the blaze at about 10.15pm and called 999. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus got in through a blown-out bedroom window and recovered his body from the kitchen. Yesterday’s Ashington inquest was told by assistant divisional officer Stephen Richards, who investigated the incident for the Northumberland fire and rescue service, that Mr Muldoon had a cloth in one hand, suggesting he had used it to keep smoke out of his mouth.

A bucket of water was found next to the front door, which it was believed he had used to try to fight the blaze, which had started in the bedroom.

Mr Richards said the main seat of the fire was on Mr Muldoon’s bed, and it was his opinion that he had been smoking, dozed off and then woke up to find the bedhead on fire. He said a silver foil pie container – commonly used as an ash tray – was found near the bed.

“He may have dozed off, then woke up or was alerted by the fire alarm and left the bedroom. Instead of leaving the premises he tried to fight the fire with a bucket of water and was overcome by fumes.”

Mr Armstrong said Mr Muldoon died from the effects of breathing smoke and a post-mortem examination revealed he had drunk the equivalent of about three pints of beer that evening.

“The alcohol was perhaps enough to make him think he could tackle the fire himself and as a consequence things went drastically awry.

“It looks as though he got out of bed and, instead of immediately leaving the premises which we know would have saved his life, decided to tackle the fire himself.

“It is very sad that had he instead unlocked the back door and got out, he could have still been with us today. Smoking in bed is not a safe thing to do.”

Verdict: accident.