Chain smoker great-grandmother burnt to death after her cigarette ignited because of the paraffin cream she uses

A 74-year-old bedridden great-grandmother died after her lit cigarette ignited the paraffin-based arthritis creams rubbed into her skin.

Pauline Taylor a heavy smoker, died two years ago after dropping a cigarette which started a fire that intensified due to her paraffin-based arthritis creams.A coroner has now ruled it was an accident.

The 74-year-old, who smoked around 20 cigarettes per day, was seriously ill and could not walk by herself.

She also suffered from arthritis in her hands and psoriasis, which was treated with a paraffin-based emollient cream.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, assistant coroner Mary Burke said: 'Ms Taylor died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire on her bed which was caused by Ms Taylor unintentionally dropping a lit cigarette or match.

'It was likely intensified by paraffin-based creams on her person, bedding and nightwear and polyurethane on the mattress in her bed.'

She added that the fire 'ignited items as it spread to the head of her bed' and was also 'likely intensified by the air mattress and the matches on her bed.'

Ms Taylor, a great-grandmother-of 10, was cared for by her large family, as well as carers who visited four times daily.

The day before her death, Paula Lace, a carer for Carewatch with just three months experience, bought her client matches after her usual lighters had broken.

The assistant coroner told the inquest at Bradford Coroner's Court: 'Ms Taylor was of sound mind and capable of making her own decisions. I consider that it is likely that Ms Taylor genuinely believed she would not encounter any difficulties using matches.'

The mum-of-three was last seen by carers at around 11.30pm on May 29, 2015 and was pronounced dead by firefighters at around 4.40am the next morning.

Her daughter Deborah Farmer, 52, previously told the inquest that she thought her 'frail' mum would have difficulty using matches.

The fire service had previously provided Ms Taylor with fire-retardant bedding but it was stored in a cupboard instead.



The 74-year-old, who smoked around 20 cigarettes per day, was seriously ill and could not walk by herself. She also suffered from arthritis in her hands and psoriasis, which was treated with a paraffin-based emollient cream - which ignited with the cigarette

Ms Taylor lost her husband in 1986, her eldest daughter Carol Milovic in 2011 at the age of 49 and her partner, 'Sonny' Thompson, in late 2014.

In the six months since the death of her partner of nearly 30 years, her health had declined further and she was low in mood to the extent she had asked her carers not to move her from her bed at all.

The retired auxiliary nurse, who lived in a ground floor flat in Primrose Hill, often said that smoking was one of the last pleasures she had remaining in life.

In a statement released after the inquest, her daughters Deborah and Tracey Wadsworth, 48, said: 'Mum was a private, independent woman who didn't like to ask for help. If she did ask, it was under duress.

'She was the first person in Kirklees to have died due to a combination of smoking in bed while using supportive cushions, an air mattress and paraffin-based creams and so we are going to work closely with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to help raise awareness of this danger.

'We realise there were numerous reasons for the fire, but we feel the main factor was Carewatch not training and vetting employees properly, particularly their level of experience.'

Recording a verdict of accidental death, assistant coroner Mary Burke said: 'Ms Taylor died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire on her bed which was caused by Ms Taylor unintentionally dropping a lit cigarette or match

The inquest previously heard that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service call operator Robert Rutter logged the address incorrectly leading to firefighters spending more than 15 minutes trying to locate the correct address before Ms Taylor was pronounced dead.

After hearing evidence that Ms Taylor stopped responding to another call operator just several minutes after her smoke detectors were activated, Mrs Burke said: 'Even if the crews had attended the correct address initially, by that stage Ms Taylor sadly had already suffered fatal injuries.'

Mrs Burke added that she will file a Preventing Future Deaths report. In a statement after the inquest, WYFRS area manager Nick Smith said: 'We have already learnt from this mistake and have taken action to ensure such delays do not occur in the future.'

Meanwhile, the family have fund-raised nearly £700 for the Firefighters Charity since their mum's death



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