A man who tried in vain to save the life of a burning woman was commended for his efforts by coroner David Crerar.
The coroner heard evidence yesterday for the inquest of Ethel Watt (86), of Alexandra, who died on June 18 last year.
John Brosnan, of Clyde, was cleaning carpet at Mrs Watt's home that morning and had gone outside to set up a cleaning machine.
"Then I heard a scream and think I heard a smoke alarm," Mr Brosnan said.
He raced inside and found Mrs Watt in the kitchen. She was "totally alight".
He grabbed a quilt from a bed and wrapped her in it, but that failed to put out the flames so he grabbed a woollen blanket.
He yelled for help, and one of the neighbours heard and phoned emergency services as he was trying to douse the flames.
The second blanket did not work, so he used a third blanket to suffocate the flames.
The room was filling with smoke and he opened a window.
Mrs Watt had been wearing pyjamas and a loose-fitting dressing gown.
Mrs Watt's daughter, Kathy Spain, said her mother lived alone and was physically frail but mentally alert. She had caregivers visit every day.
Her mother used a cabinet gas heater in her lounge in winter and had to stand up to ignite it and push the button firmly. She often had to try two or three times to light it.
Mr Crerar said the gas continued to be released as the heater was started.
In response to a question from Mr Crerar, Mrs Spain said she had never observed a "flaring" of the gas.
Fire investigation officer Stuart Ide said although Mrs Watt was in the kitchen, the range was not switched on, and there was nothing else to suggest the fire started there.
The carpet cleaning fluid which had been used was non-flammable.
The fire had started low down, and he believed it started when Mrs Watt bent over to switch the gas heater on or off.
Gas fitter Terry Smith inspected the heater afterwards and said it and the regulator were in excellent condition and had no leaks.
It had a grille and the manufacturer's recommendation was that there be a metre clearance between the heater and anything combustible.
Most people would stand at the back or to the side of the heater when starting or stopping it, he said.
Constable Dairne Cassidy said Mrs Watt was found about 6m from the heater. The day before the fire, her ulcerated legs had bled and been bandaged. They had been treated using creams containing alcohol.
Mrs Watt's pyjamas were cotton but when tested later, still ignited quickly when exposed to a flame.
Const Cassidy said there were no suspicious circumstances.
No explanation
The cause of a crash which killed Lois Ann Brown (69), of Dumbarton, would remain a mystery, Mr Crerar said.
She died on November 19 at Butchers Dam, near Alexandra, after losing control of her car, which crossed the centre-line and collided with a truck.
Mr Crerar said neither driver was speeding and there was no explanation for Mrs Brown's momentary lapse of control of the vehicle.
"She was not distracted by a cellphone - in fact she didn't own a cellphone - and she has no history of falling asleep at the wheel."
She was not wearing a seat belt, but she was exempted from wearing one for "anxiety reasons", he said.
The truck driver, Jeffery Pearce, was not to blame for the accident.
Mr Pearce said he was heading south on State Highway 8 that afternoon and was driving about 60kmh.
The vehicle driven by Mrs Brown, heading in the opposite direction, failed to take a corner and drove straight at him.
"I tried to avoid the collision but I suspect the car went under my truck," Mr Pearce said.
He could not remember hitting the brakes, but he was busy trying to get out of the path of the car.
A road crash investigator, Senior Constable Alistair Crosland, said there was no evidence to suggest either vehicle had been speeding.
There was a scuff mark on the road which may have been made on impact.
The road was dry and there was good visibility.
In answer to a question by Mr Crerar, Snr Const Crosland said he did not think Mrs Brown would have survived the crash had she been wearing a seat belt.
The impact peeled the roof off the car, he said.
Senior Constable Mike Colligan said two members of the public had performed CPR on Mrs Brown. Her death was due to traumatic injuries sustained in the accident.
Vehicle inspectors found nothing that caused or contributed to the crash.
