Fatal blaze which killed wheelchair-bound housing officer was accident, rules coroner

Roger Still was found by firefighters at his house in Brackendale Drive on the Yew Tree estate, which is on the Walsall-Sandwell border, on August 3 last year.

The 63 year old, who worked as a housing officer for Sandwell Council for 23 years, suffered from a severe form of multiple sclerosis which meant that he used a wheelchair and required extensive care and support.

An inquest at Smethwick Council House heard that Mr Still was 'highly likely' to have started the blaze accidentally by dropping a box of lit matches onto the floor.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, assistant coroner Dr Andrew Thompson said: "Mr Still's property was secure when the fire service arrived. In fact, they had to break in to gain entry.

"There is no proof of anything other than an accident. This was an accidental fire caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials. I conclude that Mr Still's death was accidental."

Offering evidence at the inquest, Mr Still's brother, Derek, aged 59, said he had been a heavy smoker until a recent heart attack led to him reducing his habit to one cigarette a day.

"After his heart attack he had some patches to help him quit, but he would still have one every day," he said.

"Because of his MS he was unable to use a lighter, so he would have a big box of matches which he used to light up with.

"His carers were with him until 6.40pm and that's when he would have had his cigarette. My assumption is that it is highly likely that the box of matches went up when he lit that cigarette and he was unable to put out the fire," he said.

The inquest heard that Mr Still suffered extensive burns to his head, neck and back as a result of the fire, which caused him to suffer heat shock. A medical report compiled by a pathologist, which was read out at the inquest, confirmed that Mr Still suffered extensive burns to his body during the fire.

The cardiac arrest Mr Still suffered two weeks before his death would have triggered further issues with his heart once the fire took hold, the report concluded.

Mr Still's family paid tribute to their 'caring and fun-loving brother' who they say was devoted to his work at Great Bridge Housing Office and with Sandwell Council's anti-social behaviour prevention team.

His sister, Jenny Craddock, 44, said: "Roger was always a very caring person who loved his job. He was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis when he was in his 50s. It is such a debilitating disease and it made him more isolated.

"In his younger days he was very active and used to go skydiving.

"He had a lot of support from his family and had support from carers four times a day. They were extremely helpful, as were the staff at community alarms.

"He was very popular and had lots of friends. We miss him dearly."

Derek Still said: "Roger used to visit the local canal most days to spend time with his friend.

"Even with his illness he still liked to get out and about and maintained his young looks.

"It just became more difficult because of the MS," he said.