Blackpool woman, 81, found dead after blaze in her flat in the early hours of the morning

An 81-year-old woman from Blackpool was found dead in her lounge by firefighters after they were called to an early morning blaze at her ground floor flat.

Pauline Guy, a retired hotel worker who had lived in the flat on the Mereside estate for 12 years, could not be revived despite attempts at CPR following the incident shortly after 3am on February 25 this year, an inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard.

Her cause of death was found to be inhalation of fire fumes, a post mortem showed. The level of carbon monoxide in her lungs was at a fatal level but there were no significant burns on her body or signs of natural disease.

There was a low level of alcohol in her system and only therapeutic levels of medication.

Neighbours said they had seen Mrs Guy going out on errands in the days before the fire, but trips out were rarer than they had been previously and it was felt she was increasingly frail.

A fire incident report found that the cause of the blaze was accidental, either by a cigarette butt falling onto clothing in the room or clothing falling onto a lit candle.

Blackpool and Fylde senior coroner Alan Wilson returned a conclusion of accidental death.