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17
Nov 2022
Knaresborough solicitor died in fatal fire caused by candle, inquest finds
A house fire which led to the death of a Knaresborough solicitor is likely to have been caused by a candle, an inquest heard today.
Lynda Delf Greenwood died at the scene of the fire which destroyed her home in Brearton in April this year.
The inquest heard both police and fire officers conclude that a candle on a coffee table in the living room was thought to have been the origin of the fire.
The fire took hold thanks to wood and other materials near the open fire, which was not lit.
Fire investigator Tony Walker told the inquest:
Earlier in the week, the court heard, Mrs Greenwood had had an operation on her foot and was wearing a "boot" for support.
However, on the day of the fire, Saturday, April 2, she appeared well and uninhibited by the boot. Camilla had gone shopping and to have beauty treatments in Knaresborough with her mother.
They returned to the house in Brearton where Mrs Greenwood, who was 67, had cooked dinner. Camilla left just after 8pm, having made plans to see her mother the following day for a family event.
Dog barking
The inquest heard Mrs Greenwood then spoke to her sister-in-law, Samantha Nattress, over the phone just after 8.30pm. Mrs Nattress told the hearing there was nothing unusual about the phone call, other than one of Mrs Greenwood's five dogs barking in the background on two occasions during the 45-minute call.
The phone call ended just after 9.20pm when Mrs Greenwood said she was going to bed.
Neighbours noticed the fire just after 10pm and called the fire service, as well as rushing to the scene to help. Three men went to the conservatory door and rescued the dogs, while also calling into the house for Mrs Greenwood.
Read more:
- 'No suspicious circumstances' surrounding Brearton house fire, say fire service
- Local solicitor identified as victim of fatal Brearton house fire
The inquest heard firefighters arrived just a few minutes later. Police and paramedics also attended.
Mrs Greenwood was found lying in the hallway behind the door to the kitchen. She was taken outside into the garden where first firefighters and then paramedics attempted to resuscitate her, but without success.
The Brearton house destroyed in the fatal fire.
Giving evidence at the inquest, DS Louise Pegg said she felt it was likely Mrs Greenwood, having discovered the fire, had been trying to get to the dogs' room on the other side of the kitchen.
She added:
Mr Walker said he had also concluded the dogs were in the area next to the conservatory where they were usually kept and that he believed two battery-operated smoke alarms were not working. He added:
'Loveable fruitcake'
In statements read out by North Yorkshire area coroner Catherine Cundy, friends and neighbours described Mrs Greenwood as "bubbly" and that she "would help anyone out with anything". The court heard she was an active member of the community and in the village church and one neighbour said she was "a lovable fruitcake".
Mrs Greenwood ran her own solicitors' practice in Knaresborough and, in October 2021, invited neighbour Leighton Williams to join her as a partner in the firm, which he did.
Her daughter Camilla had moved back home after university in December 2020, but left the following year. Mrs Greenwood's parents had both lived in an annexe next to the house but had died in 2021.
Camilla described her mother as "one of a kind" and "fun to be around" in a statement read to the inquest. She said she was "extremely capable", "high-functioning" and "organised". While her mother could seem "a little forgetful" sometimes, Camilla said this was only over minor matters and she loved to organise family occasions.
The court heard a post-mortem examination found evidence of Mrs Greenwood's prescription medication in her blood, as well as some alcohol, which could have been enough to make her disorientated or cause blurred vision.
There was evidence of toxic levels of carbon monoxide inhalation, the court heard.
Ms Cundy recorded a verdict of accidental death in the fire, most likely caused by the candle.
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