Significant Shorts : Three-year-old was likely cause of fire

A three-year-old playing with a cigarette lighter was the most likely cause of a fire in which two part-time firefighters and a five- year-old boy died, an inquest at Abergavenny was told yesterday by forensic scientist Dr Andrew Sweeting.

Kevin Lane, 32, and Stephen Griffin, 42, were killed in an explosion as they searched for a child mistakenly thought to be trapped upstairs at a house at Blaina, South Wales. They had already rescued Daniel Harford, who died from smoke inhalation on his way to hospital. In fact, Ms Catherine Harford and her other son, Joshua, three, who was said to have a fascination for lighters and matches, had already escaped. Verdicts of accidental death were returned in all three cases.