An inseparable couple who were due to marry next year both tragically died after being pulled from a house fire. Rebecca Foster, 32, and Kieran Naylor, 33, had been together for 10 years before the devastating blaze at their Cheshire home.
They had been looking forward to their wedding in Cyprus in 2024 while they were also renovating the property that was to be their "forever home". But the couple were both left in a critical condition with serious injuries following the fire on Delph Lane, in Daresbury.
They were rushed to separate hospitals in Warrington and Whiston following the blaze in the early hours of December 12 last year, but Rebecca died two days later before Kieran's death on Boxing Day. An inquest was held into their deaths yesterday (June 19), the Liverpool Echo reports.
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The inquest heard a loving tribute from dad John Foster who said: "They were massively in love. They spent all of their time together."
In a statement read out to the court, it was heard this was their fourth house they were renovating together but that it was "meant to be their forever home" where they would live with their dog Skye and cat Nyla who were "like their children".
Mr Foster added they bought the home in August 2021 as a project they could complete together and Mr Naylor, as a cable jointer, was doing 90% of the work himself. The hearing heard how some rooms in the house were "back to brick" but the garden was the only thing completed.
Mr Foster said during the early hours of December 12, police asked them to go to the hospital as their daughter was in critical condition after a house fire. He told the hearing they were told she was "brain dead" as he added: "They were keeping her hooked on machines. It was that point we knew she was going to die."
With bruising and burns to her body, Rebecca's family stayed with her until she died on December 13. Dad, Paul Naylor also added that the couple were "inseparable" and had celebrated their engagement in 2022, and were due to be married in 2024.
He told the hearing when his son was rushed to hospital, he was told he was "seriously unwell and was likely to succumb to his injuries". Despite three major operations and fighting for his life for two weeks, Kieran tragically died on Boxing Day 2022.
The inquest previously heard from fire investigator Jonathan Hill that a cause of the fire could not be determined due to the property being "unsafe" and the extensive damage caused, however, it was likely to have started in the ground floor lounge room or gaming room - which was under renovation.
The hearing on Monday heard a statement from a senior paramedic who arrived at the scene shortly before 1.20am that morning. He said "orange flames could be seen clearly" as well as a large police and fire presence.
From police and paramedic evidence, the inquest heard both Rebecca and Kieran were pulled from the burning building from the first floor bedroom window. Kieran was "unresponsive" and unable to breathe on his own for around 30 minutes.
But Rebecca required more CPR attempts for around an hour. As fire crews worked to bring the company director's heartbeat back, the senior paramedic attempted other life-saving intervention including oxygen and adrenaline. A heartbeat was eventually detected around 1.46am.
Rebecca was rushed to Warrington Hospital where resuscitation attempts were again carried out until she was ventilated and sedated and taken to ICU. The hearing heard how tests soon showed she suffered a hypoxic brain injury due to smoke inhalation and there were "no clinical signs of life".
In a statement read out to the court by assistant coroner Alexander Frodsham heard that "tests showed the severity of her condition and it was grossly abnormal". The hearing heard how despite a cause of the fire being uncertain, police and fire crews ruled out any third party involvement.
Loving tributes were previously shared for the couple who would be "together forever". Kieran's family said: "Kieran really was the best son, brother and uncle that anyone could have wished for and he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure to have known him. Kieran and Rebecca are now reunited forever and they will always be in our hearts."
Rebecca's family previously said: "Rebecca was a loving and caring daughter and our lives have been absolutely torn apart by her death. She and Kieran made the perfect couple, and the pair were planning to spend the rest of their lives together, but sadly they will never be able to fulfil their dreams."
Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Rebecca suffered a hypoxic brain injury following smoke inhalation after the house fire. He said: "On December 13, Rebecca's condition deteriorated and brain stem tests confirmed very sadly she had passed away."
Rebecca died on December 13 at Warrington Hospital as the coroner gave a cause of death as hypoxic brain injury secondary to smoke inhalation. For Kieran, he was resuscitated at the time and rushed to Whiston Hospital with "extensive burns".
Mr Frodsham added that despite three operations, on December 25, the 33-year-old's condition rapidly deteriorated and died on December 26 from multiorgan failure. The coroner gave a cause of death as multiorgan failure due to 60% of his body surface being covered in burns.
He told the families that attended court today: "It must have been a terrible shock, while both were adults, they were still your children. As parents, we don't expect to lose our children. I'm very sorry this has happened and I hope you have some answers."
