A paraplegic man who died in a house fire at Albert Town was likely to have been woken by a smoke alarm but was unable to get out of bed, a fire investigator told an inquest yesterday.
The first day of the inquest into the death of Bruce James Cochran (53) on August 21, 2014 was held in the Coroner's Court in Queenstown, before coroner Marcus Elliott.
The inquest continues today. Specialist fire investigator for the New Zealand Fire Service southern fire region, Michael Cahill said the fire was in a garage which had been converted into a one-bedroom self-contained unit, some years earlier.
Mr Cochran was the sole occupant of the unit. He was paraplegic as a result of an accident when he was a teenager.
The fire was reported at 4.30am, Mr Cahill said.
A domestic smoke alarm was installed on the unit's living room wall and it was likely Mr Cochran had heard the alarm but his disability prevented him from escaping from his bed, he said.
Mr Cochran was found on the bed, with blankets pulled to one side. It appeared he had attempted to move but was unable to complete his efforts to get out of bed.
‘‘And he may have succumbed to the smoke before he had a chance to get out of bed,'' Mr Cahill said.
It was likely the fire was well involved before any smoke entered the room where the smoke alarm was sited. Police and fire investigators failed to identify an ignition source but it was likely it started in the roofing space.
The probable cause was ‘‘an electrical event involving electrical wiring,'' Mr Cahill said.
He said there was no explanation why the unit's bedroom door was partly closed. That was unusual for Mr Cochran, who usually left the door wide open for ease of access with his wheelchair.
If he was asked for advice about providing smoke alarms in a unit of that size, Mr Cahill said he would recommend two smoke alarms be installed - a long-life photo-electric one in the bedroom as well as one in the living room.
No remains of the smoke alarm were found among the fire debris, but the wall where it was sited was extensively damaged by the fire, he said.
Senior Constable Chris Blackford said police were satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Cochran's death.
Harry Urquhart was a caregiver and friend of Mr Cochran. He helped him with shopping and maintenance around the unit.
He gave evidence of considerable ‘‘clutter'' around the house as well as hard plastic sheets laid against the skirting boards and on the floor to protect the floor and carpet from wheelchair damage.
He could recall replacing the battery in the unit's only smoke alarm about six months earlier and testing it.
Mr Urquhart said replacing light bulbs in the unit was a regular occurrence, almost a weekly task. The downlights were ‘‘constantly blowing bulbs'' but Mr Cochran was unlikely to have made a fuss about it to his landlord, as he enjoyed living there.
Mr Cochran cooked for himself and favoured ‘‘one-pot-meals''. He tried to save power where he could and made sure he switched lights and heaters off before going to bed.
There was a box of fireworks under the kitchen table and Mr Cochran was saving them to take to a party, Mr Urquhart said. Mr Cahill said neighbours reported fireworks earlier in the night but there was no indication the fire was started by fireworks.
