Mother-of-seven died after cigarette sparked fire in Black Country home

Dorothy Bradley, aged 77, from Bradburn Road in Wednesfield was found by firefighters in the bathroom of her smoke-filled house in the early hours of March 5 this year.

Black Country Coroner's Court heard how Mrs Bradley, affectionately known as Jonie, had been attempting to put out the flames on her bed linen by dousing them in water from the bathroom tap.

Fire crews carried her out of the property and tried to resuscitate her but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest heard that earlier that evening her daughter, Charmaine Anthony, had put her mother to bed before leaving to prepare for a family party the next day.

Neighbours were alerted to smoke coming out of an upstairs window just before midnight.

Mrs Anthony described how she had worried about her mother's health for some time, fearing she was showing early signs of dementia.

She said: "She was a devoted mother to seven but since she lost my brother to cancer two years ago she really deteriorated.

"From Christmas we thought that she was showing the early signs dementia. I expressed my concerns to the GP numerous times before her death and had phoned the 111 service four times the week before.

"She kept dropping off to sleep and dropping her cigarette, I had even said to her that I worried she was going to burn the house down."

Mrs Bradley suffered from several medical conditions and was on oxygen therapy at home for her lungs, the inquest was told.

On numerous occasions doctors had advised her to give up smoking, the court heard.

The cause of death given following a post mortem was carbon monoxide poisoning with part of her brain affected from a mini stroke.

Concluding a verdict of accidental death, senior coroner Zafar Siddique, said: "We have heard how Jonie was a loving mother and that she had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in later life.

"On March 5 firefighters found her in the bathroom with the tap running and she had been trying to put out some flames on bed linen that had caught fire."

"This is an absolutely tragic death."

James McDonald, fire investigation officer at West Midlands Fire Service, said: "The fire service had a call at 23.57pm on March 4.

"On arrival smoke was coming from the first floor of the end terrace building. There were two smoke alarms working in the building.

"Lighters and disposed cigarettes were on the first floor and downstairs too."