Inquest concludes into death of Kieran Naylor and Rebecca Foster

An inquest into the deaths of Kieran Naylor and Rebecca Foster at their Daresbury home concluded yesterday, Monday, at Warrington Coroner’s Court.

The purpose of an inquest is to identify the medical cause of death, as well as answer who died, when, where and how they came by their death, before reaching a conclusion.

Families were told that the sheer scale of the damage to the house hampered an investigation into the cause due to the structure being unsafe to enter.

Just before 1am on Monday, December 12, fire crews were called to the serious blaze on Delph Lane – with people reported to be inside the property.

Five fire engines from Runcorn, Lymm, Warrington, Frodsham and Widnes fire stations attended the scene, along with paramedics and police.

All emergency services reported the detached house being ‘well ablaze’ on arrival, with flames in the front right window of the ground floor and smoke to the upper floor.

Six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire, which also involved the roof of the property, with four hose reel jets.

Two casualties, a man and a woman, were rescued and taken to Whiston Hospital and Warrington Hospital respectively in a critical condition.

Heartbreakingly, it was confirmed that the female casualty, Rebecca Foster, aged 32, tragically died at 7.22pm the following day, December 13.

Two weeks later, at 8.45pm on Boxing Day, it was also sadly revealed that her 33-year-old fiancé Kieran Naylor had also died as a result of his injuries sustained in the fire.

It was heard during the inquest that it is believed that the couple’s two pets also died in the fire.

The inquest heard a statement from John Foster, Rebecca’s father, which told of how Rebecca, a company director, and Kieran were together for 10 years, got engaged last year and were due to be married in Cyprus in 2024.

“They were massively in love and spent all of their time together. She was his world,” he said.

“This was the fourth house they were renovating together and it was meant to be their forever home. They had a cat and a dog who were like their children.”

The pair bought the house in August 2021, with Kieran carrying out 90 per cent of the work through skills acquired in his job as an electrical cable jointer.

The only things he would not touch were specialisms such as gasworks, the court heard, while he also had ‘electric OCD’ which made sure he did everything properly.

Kieran Naylor and Rebecca Foster tragically died following a fire at their home in Daresbury

The court also heard a statement from Paul Naylor, Kieran’s father, which explained how Kieran was born in Billinge and grew up in St Helens, before moving to Warrington aged 17.

He was always interested in electrics and studied it at college, working his way up after qualifying and running his own business.

Kieran and Rebecca were ‘inseparable and a proper team’, the statement added.

Evidence was heard from Dr Shahzad Salim, a consultant in emergency medicine, and Ravinda Sandu, an intensive care consultant, both at Warrington Hospital.

Statements were also prepared by Sarah Langston, a consultant in emergency medicine, and Prof. Kayvan Shokrollahi, a burns consultant and plastic surgeon, both at Whiston Hospital.

These spoke of the care given to Rebecca and Kieran, with both requiring CPR and suffering burns, and Kieran undergoing three operations before his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Katrina Molloy, a crime scene investigator for Cheshire Police, attended the house the morning after the fire and was able to conclude there was no third-party involvement or suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire.

Jonathan Hill, a station manager for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in the prevention department, also conducted an investigation.

The focus of the investigation as possible sources of the origin of the fire was on the lounge room at the front right of the property, where flames were first spotted, and an adjacent games room.

The difficulty in the investigation was access, due to the damage suffered by the building and its instability, he told the court. Despite specialist teams, access could not be gained.

A number of items of interest to the investigation were in the lounge, including a log burner and a Christmas tree with fairy lights.

The games room, which had been stripped back to brick, was where renovation materials were being stored, including a propane gas cylinder.

Deliberate ignition was discounted as the source of ignition, however the log burner, rechargeable battery failure of electrical items, portable heaters, Christmas tree lights or candles could not be ruled out.

Mr Hill said: “I determine that the most probable cause was a fire in the lounge or games room on the ground floor, and that this developed due to items including the propane cylinder.

“I believe both were unaware the fire was there, and from an unknown source.”

Addressing questions from family, who thanked the firefighters on the day for their efforts, it was added that it is unlikely there is anything that can be done to access the property as desired to investigate, and even then, it may still not be possible to determine the cause of the fire.

Alexander Frodsham, assistant coroner for Cheshire, before reaching a narrative conclusion, said: “An investigation eliminated the possibility of suspicious or third party activity, and an investigation report focuses on the likely ignition source.

Police at the scene on the day of the fire

“Unfortunately, the investigation has been hampered by the sheer scale of damage, and the property remaining unable to enter. If investigators could enter, it may still not be possible to identify what caused the fire.

“The most probable cause cannot be ascertained, but I accept the evidence that the fire is likely to have started in either the lounge or games room. I understand the uncertainty will be disappointing for the families.”

For Rebecca, Coroner Frodsham concluded: “Rebecca died as a result of injuries sustained as a result of a fire at her home. The cause of the fire cannot be identified.

“The medical cause of death is hypoxic brain injury secondary to smoke inhalation.

For Kieran, he said: “Kieran died as a result of multiple organ failure secondary to burn injuries after a fire at his home. The cause of the fire cannot be identified.”

Coroner Frodsham added: “Once again, I express my sincere condolences to both families for your sad loss. It must have been quite a shock.

“I am very sorry this happened to you, and I hope you got some answers, albeit limited answers, by the process today.”

Speaking earlier this year, David Rutter, service delivery manager for Halton and Warrington, said: “This was an extremely challenging incident for our firefighters, who worked tirelessly in their attempts to save the lives of the residents and to bring the blaze under control.

“On behalf of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, I would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts and sympathy to the families of Rebecca and Kieran.”

In the days following her death, Rebecca’s family paid tribute to her, stating: “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.

“We would like to thank everyone who tried to help Rebecca and Kieran on the night of the fire for all their efforts.”

Kieran’s family also paid tribute to him, adding: “Words cannot express how completely heartbroken and devastated we are to have lost Kieran. Our lives will never be the same.

“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.

“We would like to thank everyone who tried to help Kieran and Rebecca following the fire.”