A 'perfect' couple who were planning their dream wedding abroad tragically died following a devastating house fire.
Rebecca Foster, 32, and her fiancé Kieran Naylor, 33, passed away in hospital after the horror blaze broke out at their 'forever home' in Cheshire. The couple, who had been together for 10 years, were in the process of renovating the property and looking forward to their destination wedding in Cyprus in 2024.
An inquest held yesterday heard the inferno broke out at the couple's home on Delph Lane, in Daresbury in the early hours of December 12 last year. Fire crews managed to pull Rebecca and Kieran from the blaze, however both had suffered critical injuries and were rushed to separate hospitals Warrington and Whiston.
Rebecca sadly died two days later, with Kieran also succumbing to his injuries on Boxing Day, the Liverpool Echo reports. Paying tribute to the couple, Rebecca's dad John Foster said: "They were massively in love. They spent all of their time together."
In his statement read to the court, John added the couple were renovating what was "meant to be their forever home" with cable jointer Kieran doing 90% of the work himself. The pair had planned live in the property with their dog Skye and cat Nyla who were "like their children".
The hearing heard how some rooms in the house were "back to brick" and that the garden was the only thing completed at the time.
Recalling the night of the fire, Mr Foster said he and his wife were told to go the hospital immediately by police, as their daughter was in critical condition after a house fire. When they arrived, doctors gave them the devastating news that she was "brain dead".
John explained: "They were keeping her hooked on machines. It was that point we knew she was going to die."
Rebecca's family stayed by her side until her death on December 13.
Kieran's dad Paul Naylor said the couple has celebrated their engagement in 2022 and described them as 'inseparable'. He told the hearing how, upon his arrival to the hospital, medics explained that his son was "seriously unwell and was likely to succumb to his injuries".
Despite undergoing three major operations over the course of two weeks, Kieran tragically died on Boxing Day 2022.
Head fire investigator Jonathan Hill told the inquest a cause of the blaze could not be determined due to the property being "unsafe" and the extensive damage caused. However, it was likely to have originated in the ground floor lounge room or gaming room - which was under renovation.
Despite the cause of the fire being uncertain, police and fire crews ruled out any third party involvement.
On Monday, the hearing heard a statement from a senior paramedic who arrived at the scene shortly before 1.20am. He said "orange flames could be seen clearly" and that police and fire crews were already in attendance.
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.
Meanwhile, CPR was administered to Rebecca for roughly an hour. As fire crews worked to save the company director, the senior paramedic attempted other life-saving intervention including oxygen and adrenaline. A heartbeat was eventually detected around 1.46am.
She was then blue-lighted to Warrington Hospital where resuscitation attempts were again carried out until she was ventilated, sedated and taken to ICU. Tests 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, he said "tests showed the severity of her condition and it was grossly abnormal". Loving tributes were previously shared for the couple, who were described as 'inseparable'.
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."
Mr Frodsham gave Kieran's 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."
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