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Kentish Express, Friday 9 February 1979.
Gas leak blamed for death blaze.
A WARNING to users and suppliers of gas heaters was given at the
inquest on an Ashford publican on Tuesday.
The inquest heard that Mrs. Norah Ballingall, licensee of the "Rose
Inn," at The Street, Willsborough, died after a fire at her home,
attached to the pub.
Ashford Coroner Ralph Vaughan said the fire was probably started by
Mrs. Ballingall's gas heater, and suggested that the gas cylinder
may not have been fitted correctly, allowing gas to leak out.
The fire was on December 14. Mrs. Ballingall, 74, was taken to
Ashford Hospital and died two weeks later. She had been pulled,
unconscious, from her blazing home by Leading Ambulance man, Alan
Burchette.
Mrs. Ballingall died on December 29, Dr. Noel Padley, consultant
pathologist for the South East Kent health district gave the cause
of death as acute bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia, due to
inhalation of smoke and fumes.
He said Mrs. Ballingall had been considerably overweight, and had
had a severe heart condition.
One of her neighbours, Mrs. Jacqueline Anderson, of Silver Hill,
Willesborough said Mrs. Ballingall had used a gas heater in the
living room, but was not able to change the gas cylinders herself.
She hed had to ask men who used the pub to change them.
The heater was an Alvina Mk III. made in Spain and imported by
Infradex at Hoddesdon, Herts. Mr. Roy Riley, technical director of
the company, said it was most important, when connecting the heater
to the gas cylinder, to fasten the cylinder tightly, ensuring that a
provided rubber washer was used. The company provided a spanner for
this process.
But neither the spanner nor the rubber washer were found among the
debris of the fire.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Vaughan said: "The fire
probably started with the gas heater, probably at cylinder pressure.
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