Fire alarm 'was silenced as man burned to death in bed'
By Brian Hutton
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
05 July 2005
STAFF at a sheltered housing complex in Belfast repeatedly silenced a fire alarm while a paralysed resident was burning to death in his bed, an inquest has been told.
John Collins (47), formerly known as Frederick Joseph Sweet, had been living in a one bedroom flat at Greenville Court, Bloomfield, for around 18 months at the time of his death.
Firefighter Gary Kernaghan told a Coroner's Court yesterday that when he arrived at the scene of the fire on August 31, 2001, Mr Collins was kneeling on his bed as three-feet tall flames licked around him.
He suffered burns to around 75% of his body which were so severe that he could only be formally identified by dental records.
The former security guard, who was confined to a wheelchair after a series of strokes, also suffered from depression, diabetes, epilepsy and angina.
The court heard that he smoked up to 100 cigarettes a day.
The fire alarm at the complex, which houses 34 residents in self-contained units, was first activated at 9.32pm that day, and then again at 9.34pm and 9.35pm, each time being turned off by a staff member.
Senior Carer, Ethel Gray, said she told Care Assistant Jacqueline Montgomery to run to Mr Collins flat to check if there was a fire or if it was a false alarm, before she phoned the Fire and Rescue Service from her office.
Firefighter Gary Kernaghan gave evidence that a caller said the fire alarm was probably due to the occupant smoking, but Ms Gray denies that she said this.
There was an "unacceptably high" number of call outs to the housing complex, with the Fire Service attending false alarms almost once a week, he claimed.
Ms Montgomery returned to say that the door into the flat was locked but that there was smoke around the letterbox. Ms Gray then set about clearing other residents into a common room for their safety.
Firefighters using breathing apparatus broke into the flat through a window and pulled Mr Collins outside where he was given first aid before being taken to hospital where he later died.
Coroner Deborah Malcolm concluded that Mr Collins died from extensive burns and that he may have had an epileptic fit or some type of turn when smoking in bed.
She said there was a delay of just over two minutes in contacting the Fire Service but it was doubtful if the outcome would have been any different had the call been made sooner.
