A grandmother was killed in a tragic blaze at her Shrewsbury home, which was once used as a set in the film A Christmas Carol, an inquest has heard. Rose Roberts, 81, died after the fire engulfed the picturesque 14th-century house, known as Perches House, on January 27 this year. The property was used as Scrooge's office in the 1984 film adaptation.
Emergency Response
Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 3:30 am, but the 81-year-old could not be saved from the inferno at the timber-framed Grade II-listed building. Long-term lodger Luke Harrison bravely attempted to rescue his landlady after being woken by a loud explosion that made the walls shake and hearing her screams for help. However, his heroic efforts were thwarted by the force of the raging fire.
Inquest Findings
Ms Roberts was later found dead in a chair in her ground-floor room. Her cause of death was given as the 'thermal effects of fire', with a pathologist noting soot in her upper and lower airways, as well as increased carbon monoxide levels. The inquest heard that the fire was sparked by an exploding mobile phone battery.
Lodger's Account
In a statement read to the court, Mr Harrison described being woken by a loud bang and the walls shaking. He said: 'I could hear Rose shouting help next door, in fact she was screaming help, and I knew something was wrong. I ran to her door and tried to get into her property but the flames were so bad I could not get in.' He attempted to use a ladder to access the room through a window, but the window blew out, making entry impossible. He then called emergency services.
Fire Investigation
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service investigator Ross Donnelly reported that the fire service was alerted at 3:24 am, with crews arriving four minutes later. They found a 'significant fire' on the ground floor, particularly from the right-hand side window. Six crews were eventually scrambled. Crews equipped with breathing equipment fought through hazardous conditions to search for Ms Roberts. The door to her room was partially destroyed, and the rear window had blown out. During their first search, they could not locate her, but when the fire was brought under control, they found her in a chair next to the broken window.
Mr Donnelly said the fire started from a lithium-ion mobile phone battery going into 'thermal runaway'. The phone was located at the end of the bed, near combustible material, causing the fire to develop rapidly due to the high level of fuel loading. The historic nature of the building, with old timber-framed voids and wattle and daub partitions, also contributed to the spread.
Conclusion
Assistant coroner for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Heath Westerman, recorded a conclusion of accidental death. He stated that Ms Roberts died as a result of the thermal effects of fire after the blaze started in her bedroom due to thermal runaway in a mobile telephone battery.
