The death of Eric Unwin who was 91 years old was found to be accidentally caused by smoke inhalation resulting from a defective electric blanket.
On Saturday 19 March Joint Fire Control received a call at around 3:48 am to a house fire on Greenholme Close, Kirby-in-Ashfield.
When the first fire engine arrived within six minutes of the 999 call, firefighters were met with a well-developed fire. Fire was already coming out of the bedroom window and through the roof. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews initially fought the blaze from the outside but entered the house after. This is were they located Mr Unwin in the lounge.
Firefighters carried Mr Unwin out of the house where he was given CPR on the scene but was later pronounced dead at the scene. The subsequent post-mortem concluded his cause of death as smoke inhalation as a result of the fire.
The house was found to have many unsafe electrical practices including many old electrical items, electrical radiator and an electrical blanket both being used overnight. He was also found using block plug adapters and daisy chaining, which is where extension leads are plugged into each other. All these practices are deemed unsafe and are highly discouraged.
A fire investigation concluded that the fire had started in the bedroom and subsequently spread throughout the bungalow. The fire was caused by a defective electric blanket.
Group Manager Chris Emmott gave a statement on the situation: “You should not use an electric blanket or heater overnight and unplug them from the wall before you go to sleep. If you need to store an electric blanket, do not fold it as this can damage the cables but roll it up instead. Always buy electrical products from a reputable manufacturer with a Kitemark electrical safety marking and if you think they are damaged then please don’t use them.”
