An investigation into the death of a 61-year-old Dublin woman following a fire at her home almost two years ago was unable to determine the cause of the blaze, an inquest has heard.
Linda Connor, late of Goatstown in south Dublin, died from injuries sustained in a fire at her ground floor apartment, which broke out in the early hours of November 3rd, 2022.
Evidence presented at the sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Tuesday did not determine the cause of the fire, although no foul play is suspected by gardaí. A Garda investigation could not rule out the possibility that the fire was triggered by a cigarette or an electrical fault, but no evidence was uncovered in support of those theories.
The deceased’s sister, Maureen Dent, told coroner Dr Cróna Gallagher that Ms Connor, who lived alone, was looking forward to travelling to Mauritius for a holiday at the time of her death. She was due to travel to Dublin Airport ahead of the trip on the morning she was found in her burning apartment, the court heard.
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Ms Dent said that her sister was a lifelong smoker, but took precautions while smoking, and would never leave cigarettes “dangling”. She added that her sister was dependent on alcohol, and generally had an “appalling” quality of life due to health issues. Ms Connor was not intoxicated at the time of the fire, the court heard.
Tom McDevitt, a neighbour of Ms Connor’s, contacted emergency services around 2am on the date in question, the court heard, after noticing smoke billowing from the bathroom vent of the deceased’s apartment.
Dublin Fire Brigade personnel later found Ms Connor unresponsive in the living area of the apartment. Jim Doyle, a senior firefighter who responded to the scene, said Ms Connor was lying at an angle on a “couch or futon” when he found her.
Evidence given during the inquest did not establish whether Ms Connor had spent the entire evening in the living area, or if she had moved between there and her bedroom.
Ms Connor was removed from the apartment, and paramedics began resuscitation efforts, the court heard. Spontaneous circulation was restarted successfully using a defibrillator, and Ms Connor was transferred to the emergency department at St Vincent’s hospital.
CAT scans subsequently confirmed that Ms Connor had suffered irreversible brain damage due to carbon monoxide poisoning. She was pronounced dead in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) around 5pm.
An investigation carried out by officers connected to Shankill Garda station determined that the fire started in Ms Connor’s bedroom, in the vicinity of bed. The room was severely damaged by the fire, while other areas of the apartment showed evidence of extensive smoke damage.
During the course of the hearing, it emerged that gardaí did not seek statements from two people with whom Ms Connor was due to travel to Mauritius.
Following inquiries made by a Garda witness, Mark Lynam, it emerged that one of these two people had visited Ms Connor the afternoon before her death, and made arrangements to collect her ahead of travelling to Dublin Airport early the following morning.
Ms Connor’s friend called her on the morning of the fire around 1am to check in with her ahead of the trip, Gda Lynam relayed, but did not receive a response. She was subsequently informed by gardaí of the fire at Ms Connor’s apartment.
The deceased’s sister, Ms Dent, said that the additional information did not clear up gaps in knowledge around Ms Connor’s death. “I think there is information, but I don’t think I’ll ever get it,” she said.
Dr Gallagher recorded an open verdict into the death of Ms Connor. The medical cause of death was recorded as a hypoxic ischemic brain injury, secondary to carbon monoxide-related asphyxia, caused by the house fire.
She noted that there were gaps in information surrounding Ms Connor’s death, including the cause of the fire. “There’s a lot we don’t understand about her movements,” she added.
The coroner expressed the sympathies of the court to Ms Connor’s loved ones.
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