Exploding vacuum cleaner battery led to tragic death of popular West Midlands pub landlady
A popular West Midlands pub landlady was tragically killed by smoke inhalation after the battery to her cordless vacuum cleaner exploded.
An inquest this week was told how Ann Michelle Male, who was 58, died on the evening of July 14 this year.
Mrs Male, originally from Sutton Coldfield, was the landlady of the Fighting Cocks Inn at Stottesdon in south Shropshire having revived the country pub after completing a lifelong dream to own and run her own business.
The inquest at Shropshire Coroners Court in Shrewsbury was told Mrs Male, known as Annie, was "the life and soul of every room she entered" and a "deeply loving" person.
Senior coroner John Ellery read evidence which said that the fire service had been alerted to a blaze at the pub at around 6.52pm, after neighbours reported seeing smoke coming from a window.
Firefighters attended, forced their way into the pub and found the source of the fire in a bedroom, being confronted by thick black smoke as they opened the door.
The hearing was told that officers located the source of the fire using a thermal imaging camera, before finding Mrs Male unresponsive on the floor of the room.
Firefighters started to perform CPR, with paramedics taking over after they arrived, but sadly Mrs Male was pronounced dead at 7.40pm.
The inquest heard details from a fire investigation report carried out by Ross Donnelly from the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
He said that he believed the fire was accidental and had started after an explosion in the battery belonging to the Vax Blade cordless vacuum cleaner in the room.
A report commissioned by Vax was provided for the hearing, after the company had the remains of the battery examined by an independent expert.
Mr Ellery said the report concluded it was not possible to say if it was a genuine Vax battery which had exploded.
But the coroner accepted evidence from Mrs Male's partner, who said the battery was an original Vax battery.
A solicitor representing Vax at the hearing told the coroner that all Vax batteries are manufactured to international standards and subject to 'rigorous testing'.
The inquest was also told there was no pattern of manufacturing defect with the product.
Mr Donnelly's report said that the battery had gone into a state of "thermal runaway" which led to the explosion.
The inquest heard it can be caused by a number of issues, such as a defective battery, the battery having been damaged by an impact, ageing, or environmental exposure.
However, Mr Ellery said that because of the state of the battery after the explosion there was no conclusive evidence which showed the cause for the catastrophic failure.
He added: "What we do not know is precisely when the battery exploded, but when it happened it must have immediately caused smoke for Annie to fall unconscious."
Mr Ellery concluded that Mrs Male's death was accidental, but said the case served as a warning about the potential dangers of lithium ion batteries.
He said: "This inquest does highlight the dangers of batteries that can explode, whether they are charging or not."
The inquest had also heard a moving tribute from Mrs Male's daughter, Georgia Higgins, which described her as "the life and soul of every room she entered" and "a deeply loving person who was the glue that held our family together."
The statement told how travelling had become Mrs Male's passion but "only for sunny spots where she could soak up the rays".
It described how she had "transformed" the Fighting Cocks after taking over, "breathing new life into the venue and the village".
Mrs Higgins's statement explained how her mother had "adored" the pub, and "fell in love with the country life".
She added: "She is missed by so many; the world is undoubtedly a darker place without her light."