The devastated families of a young couple who died in a house fire will likely never know what caused the blaze that claimed their lives.
Rebecca Foster, 32, and her fiancé Kieran Naylor, 33, were pulled out of their home on Delph Lane in Daresbury in the early hours of Monday, December 12, last year as a fire raged. Cheshire Police said the couple suffered serious injuries and were taken to Warrington and Whiston hospitals in critical condition.
Rebecca died in hospital two days later (December 14) and Kieran died two weeks later, on Monday, December 26. An inquest was held into their deaths today in Warrington where it was heard they had been together for ten years and were due to be married in 2024 in Cyprus.
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Fire crews, police and paramedics attended the scene on that cold morning where "orange flames" could be seen billowing from the ground floor of the property and thick black smoke engulfing rooms on the first floor.
The inquest heard from Jonathan Hill, fire investigator, who was on scene within 15 minutes of the 999 call. Mr Hill returned the following day to investigate the cause of the fire, but he told coroner Alexander Frodsham there was "extensive" damage to the property.
He told the hearing that due to the damage and instability of the building, the service looked at other ways to get into the property, from urban search teams to requesting remedial works, but he said it "was deemed unsafe".
He added: "Because I can't get into the lounge to look at the origin of the fire, I can't give a cause."
Mr Hill said the fire was seen on the right side of the property on the ground floor, in the lounge and game area. Evidence taken from the window and drone footage showed several electrical items in the lounge area, including a Christmas tree with fairy lights and a log burner.
In the game room, there were several building items including tools and rechargable batters and a propane cylander due to the room being "under renovation". However, Mr Hill said they cannot say for sure what room the fire started.
Upon looking at the evidence, the hearing heard third party involvement was ruled out. But Mr Hill said they could not rule out the log burner as being the cause. He added: "It may have been used on the cold evening. Because of the lack of examination we can't rule the stove out as a possible cause."
The fire investigation officer added that although there was no evidence on works to the electrical mains, they could not find evidence the fire had or had not started via the Christmas tree. He told the court: "All items have potential to be the cause."
Mr Hill went on to say candles could not be ruled out either but it was likely to have started in the lounge or gaming room. He said: "I believe they were unaware of the fire."
When asked by family if there will ever be a cause, Mr Hill said it would be unlikely so due to the "substantial damage". He added: "It's frustrating to not get down to that cause but we tried everything we could."
Concerns were raised that the couple's pets, dog Skye and cat Nyla, were not found, but Mr Hill said it was believed they were in the bedroom but they were unable to locate them due to it being unsafe. He added: "The amount of debris is a metre high."
The hearing also heard from CSI Katrina Malloy who confirmed there was "no third party involvement".
Tragically, Rebecca and Kieran - who have been described as soulmates - were pulled from the fire via the first floor window. Despite being unresponsive for around 30 minutes, Kieran, a cable jointer by trade, was brought around and rushed to Whiston Hospital.
However, Rebecca, a company director, required CPR attempts for around an hour before a pulse was detected. Coroner Alexander Frodsham said he was satisfied no evidence could be obtained into the cause of the fire due to extensive damage.
He told the court: "Shortly after midnight on 12 December, 2022 emergency services were alerted to a house fire at the home of Kieran and Rebecca. In response to emergency calls, fire, ambulance and police all attended.
"Unfortunately the fire was already well advanced. Fire crews were able to rescue Kieran and Rebecca from the first floor bedroom and they were taken to hospital."
He went on to say that "investigations were hampered by the sheer scale of damage to the property" and so the most probably cause of the fire "can't be ascertained" He added: "But I accept the evidence from station manager Jonathan Hill that the fire likely started in the games room or lounge room."
Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Rebecca suffered a hypoxic brain injury following smoke inhalation after the house fire.
He said: "On December 13, Rebecca's condition deteriorated and brain stem tests confirmed very sadly she had passed away."
Rebecca died on December 13 at Warrington Hospital as the coroner gave a cause of death as hypoxic brain injury secondary to smoke inhalation. For Kieran, he was resuscitated at the time and rushed to Whiston Hospital with "extensive burns".
Mr Frodsham added that despite three operations, on December 25, the 33-year-old's condition rapidly deteriorated and he died on December 26 from multiorgan failure. The coroner gave a cause of death as multiorgan failure due to 60% of his body surface being covered in burns.
He told the families that attended court today: "It must have been a terrible shock, while both were adults, they were still your children. As parents, we don't expect to lose our children. I'm very sorry this has happened and I hope you have some answers."
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