Nottingham woman, 80, died in 'fire hazard' kitchen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-21948940

Version 0 of 1.

A coroner has described the design of an 80-year-old woman's kitchen as an inherently dangerous fire hazard.

Jacqueline Rawson, from Nottingham, who had mobility issues, died when her clothes caught fire after her cooker was moved during some alterations.

Coroner Maureen Casey said Mrs Rawson's needs were not taken into account by Nottingham City Homes (NCH).

NCH said it would train staff to be aware of such risks before carrying out assessments at properties.

She recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The inquest in Nottingham heard Mrs Rawson's kitchen was refurbished by a contractor for NCH.

Mrs Rawson's daughter, Dorothy Summers, told the inquest her mother had raised concerns with NCH about the new lay-out but they had failed to change it.

'Grossly inadequate'

Mrs Rawson, from Bestwood Park, was cooking one night in February 2010 when her clothing caught fire. She suffered serious burns and died two months later in hospital.

Mrs Summers said that if her mother had needed to get out of the kitchen quickly, she would not have been able to get past the oven door once it was open.

The inquest heard NCH made only one visit to the property prior to the work being carried out.

The coroner described this process as grossly inadequate.

Derek Roberts, project manager at NCH, said that in hindsight more work should have been done.

NCH said it will work with Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service to train its staff to be aware of fire risks before they carry out assessments.