A CARAVAN fire which claimed the life of a Polish farm worker could have been started by a candle, an inquest heard. Iwona Bruzdedicz was found dead by firefighters after a blaze destroyed her caravan at Lodge Farm, North Warnborough, in the early hours of August 15.
The 28-year-old worked and lived on the farm, owned by Richard Janaway, where she had seasonal employment to pick and sort potatoes. Group manager Thomas Carr, a fire investigations officer from Southampton, told an inquest at Basingstoke Civic Offices he believed the fire |started in the caravan’s lounge, but added it resulted in so much damage that an exact cause was hard to determine.
He put forward three possible causes – a discarded cigarette, candles (as candle-holders and tea lights were found in the wreckage), or an electrical fault with a television.
He said: “I would put the most likely cause as a candle. The reason for that is that she smoked|roll-up cigarettes and they normally extinguish themselves.”
The inquest heard that Miss Bruzdedicz’s remains, found between the caravan’s bedroom and lounge, were formally identified by matching a DNA sample with her mother in Poland.
Russell Delaney, a Home Office pathologist, stated the farm worker died due to “inhalation of |products of combustion.” The post mortem examination also revealed Miss Bruzdedicz’s body contained 197 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood – more than twice the legal limit for driving.
Mr Delaney’s report stated: “The possible effects of alcohol could have contributed to the start of the fire or her ability to escape.”
The inquest heard a statement from fellow |worker Grzegorz Kucman, who said he and other farmhands had been drinking with Miss Bruzdedicz on August 14, the night before the fire.
Mr Janaway said Miss Bruzdedicz had been drinking more than usual in the months before the fire, which he put down to worries she had with an forthcoming operation to remove an ovarian cyst.
He added: “She was a fantastic person, a good girl, a good grafter and very helpful.”Andrew Bradley, Coroner for North East Hampshire, recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: “This is a fairly appalling accident. I cannot ignore the fact Iwona was a drinker and a smoker, and she had a predilection for scented candles. “In a mobile home of this nature, that’s a pretty lethal combination.”