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A fire that swept through a house and killed four young children was likely caused by a carelessly thrown cigarette in a bedroom, an investigation has heard.
Siblings Riley Holt, eight, Keegan Unitt, six, Tilly Rose Unitt, four, and Olly Unitt, three, died in the fire on Sycamore Lane, Stafford, in February 2019.
Her mother Natalie Unitt and her partner Chris Moulton survived the fire.
The children who died in the fire. LR Keegan, 6, Tilly, 4, Olly, 3, Riley, 8
Unitt said in the investigation that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and that he did not remember what he did after the fire broke out.
Moulton, the father of three of the children, also testified in the investigation and said he believed the fire had started on a landing.
However, to the south Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh was told that glass consistent with a melted ashtray was found on the springs of a mattress after the fire.
Among the five witnesses called by the coroner was Principal Investigator Leigh Richards of the West Midlands Fire Service.
Responding to Mr. Haigh’s questions, he said in the investigation that sources other than carelessness with smoking materials had been ruled out.
Confirming that four cigarette butts had been found in the house’s living room window frames, Richards said: “It was quite obvious that the adult occupants inside the property were smokers.
“There was a significant amount of carelessly discarded cigarettes in and around the ground floor property.
“Externally, outside the kitchen window there were over 100 discarded cigarettes. Of significant note … inside the left frame gap (window) when looking from inside the living room, there was a single discarded cigarette butt .
“In my opinion, that had not been removed and it had been allowed to burn itself. There was evidence inside the room of several cigarettes covering the carpet against the baseboards.”
In detailing what he had found in the room where he believed the fire had started, Richards added: “Examination of the master bedroom indicated that there was a blue glass ashtray on the carpet adjacent to the bed. Inside that ashtray was, I believe, there are still a couple of cigarettes.
“I also found remnants of what I think is glass on the bed that had melted inside the mattress springs.
“It was glass consistent with what you would expect to see with a glass ashtray.”
Flowers and stuffed animals left in tribute to children on the scene in 2019
When asked how he believed the fire had spread, Richards told the coroner: “In my opinion, the fire developed inside the bedroom and as it developed, the room underwent a ‘full flashover’, which is essentially where everything inside the room is engulfed in fire.
“It is my opinion that this fire was caused by carelessness with cigarettes.”
Staffordshire Police Detective Inspector Alan Lyford said a file had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which had considered various crimes but had found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in connection with the fire.
Recording narrative verdicts that the children had died from smoke inhalation after a fire caused by an unstuck cigarette, the coroner said: “I realize that giving evidence in circumstances like this is distressing for everyone, but particularly for the Mr. Moulton and Miss Unitt “.
Accepting the evidence that the fire started on the bedding, the coroner added: “Mr. Moulton has suggested that the fire may have been caused by the location where the boiler is on the landing of the property. I do not accept it. .
“Mr. Richards has clearly stated why the boiler is not the cause of this fire.”
In his testimony in court, Mr. Moulton said that the fire had awakened him and that he had tried to reach his children. He added that he could not remember how he had suffered burns to his hands before escaping through a bedroom window.
Miss Unitt said she was awakened by what she thought was a “heaviness” in her chest. She said she had also first noticed the fire in the landing area.
In the investigation, it was reported that the couple had previously been informed by social assistance about not smoking in their home, which has now been demolished.
