Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a safety warning after a pensioner died in a house fire caused by a faulty electric blanket. The authority said Eric Unwin, 91, died from smoke inhalation at his home in Greenholme Close, Kirkby-in-Ashfield on March 19.
Due to the intensity of the fire, crews initially fought the blaze from the outside but entered the house soon after where they located Mr Unwin in the lounge. Firefighters carried Mr Unwin out of the house and he was given CPR, but was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A subsequent post mortem concluded his cause of death as smoke inhalation as a result of the fire. At an inquest, senior coroner for Nottinghamshire, Mairin Casey, heard how Mr Unwin had several old electrical items in his house, with his nighttime routine including using an electric radiator and blanket overnight.
