Fatal flat blaze an accident

SCENE of the blaze above shops in Lord Lane, Failsworth

A TRAGIC accident claimed the life of a man in a fire in Failsworth, an inquest heard yesterday.

Firefighters were called to a flat in Lord Lane at around 6.30am on October 17, where Jason Clegg (38) lived with his dog Boomer. CPR was carried out on Mr Clegg at the scene and at Manchester Royal Infirmary, but he was pronounced dead shortly before 8am.

Assistant coroner Peter Sigee ruled out any foul play and recorded a verdict at an inquest in Heywood of accidental death.

The alarm was raised by the owner of an Italian wine shop, who was opening his store at 6.30am and noticed smoke from the flat window.

Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes and went inside, putting out the fire and finding Mr Clegg 15 minutes later on the floor in the sitting room.

In a statement at the inquest, Mr Clegg’s friend Sean O’Brien said Mr Clegg - a regular drug user with mental health issues - had talked about ending his life and had once mentioned that he would set his flat on fire.

An investigation found no conclusive evidence to suggest the fire was deliberate. Mark Blackman, a fire service watch manger, said the blaze had started on the hob of the electric cooker, which was still switched on. Something on or close to the hob had caught fire, and the flames had spread to adjoinng appliances.

A toxicology report found there was amphetamine and cannabis in Mr Clegg’s body, and suggested the combination of amphetamine and carbon monoxide could have proved fatal. The coroner said he wasn’t satisfied this was a factor in Mr Clegg’s death.

“I am satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that this death was caused by a most unfortunate accident while Mr Clegg was cooking,” he confirmed.