Housing charity told to make changes after Wolverhampton fatal fire
A coroner has called for changes in a housing charity's maintenance practices after a man died in a house fire.
Keith Holmes only moved into the property operated by homeless charity People Potential Possibilities (P3) three days before his room at McHugh House, in Dickens Road, Low Hill, Wolverhampton, caught fire on December 31, last year.
Black Country Area Coroner Joanne Lees submitted a regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths advising P3 to take action after it emerged that a fridge in the room had not been tested for two years.
But the charity replied that it had followed the public health guidance available at the time.
Mr Holmes was found unresponsive on the floor by the emergency services after the fire alarm triggered at about 1am and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The inquest held in May this year gave the cause of death as fatal asphyxia and smoke inhalation.
The coroner's report which followed the hearing stated: "A fire investigation failed to determine whether the fire was caused by an electrical fault involving a fridge in Mr Holmes room due to extensive damage to the fridge, or by the ignition of Mr Holmes’ clothing or bedding caused by smoking materials which then transferred burning material closer to the fridge."
The report also stated: "During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.
"The matters of concern are as follows. There was an increased risk of fire or accident due to unmaintained electrical equipment during the Covid 19 pandemic.
"P3 failed to carry out a reassessment of the increased risks posed by the non-testing of electrical appliances in McHugh House during the Covid 19 Pandemic. This was during a time when it was expected that residents would spend significant periods of each day in their room.
"I was told in evidence that P3 do not have a contingency plan on managing the increased risks posed by the absence of PAT testing in the event the UK is placed into a similar lockdown situation as experienced during 2020/2021.
The report stated the fridge had last been tested in June 2019 and that P3 had accepted that the test was out of date when Mr Holmes moved in on December 28, 2021.
In reply to the coroner Derbyshire based P3 stated: "As part of the organisation’s response to the Covid pandemic, a risk assessment was undertaken on 17 April, 2020 balancing the public health advice and the risks posed to the licensees, visitors and organisations staff."
"The available guidance that the organisation complied with very much focussed on the risks in relation to Covid that outweighed the risks that may be associated with a fire."
