An elderly couple, Marlene Mumford, 84, and William Mumford, 90, died when a fire engulfed their home in Hoel Fawr, Caerphilly, last December. An inquest in Newport was told that the most likely cause of the fire was a mechanical or connection failure with a portable gas heater.
Assistant coroner Sarah Le Fevre stated it was believed William Mumford had attempted to carry the gas cylinder out of the home, which may have caused the flames to spread. The coroner recorded their deaths as an accident, resulting from an "unintended act with unforeseen circumstance."
A neighbour raised the alarm after noticing smoke and large flames, and reported seeing a gas canister explode near the front porch. Firefighters observed thick, black smoke "pumping out" of the property, and emergency services were initially unable to enter due to the extent of the damage. The couple were pronounced dead at the scene, with a pathologist giving the cause of death as exposure to combustion products of fire.