Coroner criticises school

Press, 9 May 1978, Page 10

Coroner criticises school

PA Auckland. The society arrangements for s hed storing dangerous chemicals at the Kerepehi primary school (Hauraki Plains) in which three young children died last January have been criticised by the Thames Coroner (Mr K. Purnell). The three children, a brother and sister, Neil Swaddliog-Davis, aged 9, and Ronelle SwaddlingDavis, aged 8, and Boyd Murphy, aged 8 died in a fire in the shed on January 22.

At the inquest at Thames, the Coroner found that the children had died from asphyxia due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a fire probably started by one of the three. He said that the standard of security appeared to be inadequate and that there was an apparent lack of warning about the dangerous qualities of the chemicals, calcium hypocloride, which was stored in the shed. "The intention of the packaging seems to be to protect the material against losing its qualities, rather than protecting the person using it," he said. Tests with the chemical showed it could burn at temperatures of 940 deg. Detective Sergeant R. F. Goff told the Court that the children had probably entered the corrugated iron shed by pushing aside a sheet of metal over a rear window. There was evidence the two boys had been experimenting* with accelerants. Burnt matches were found among the debris in the shed. A fire officer, Edward John Engerbretsen. said there had been two explosions inside the shed.