Resident lit rest home fire, says Coroner

Press, 2 November 1989, Page 6

Resident lit rest home fire, says Coroner

PA Auckland The Terwindle Rest Home fire that killed seven seriously ill or handicapped people was probably lit by one of the residents, a pyromaniac who had set other fires at the home, the Auckland Coroner has found.

The Herne Bay rest home met all legal requirements of its licence at the time of the blaze on July 10, but Fire Service recommendations to improve licensing standards should be seriously considered by the Health Department, said the Coroner, Mr Stephen Osborne. At yesterday’s hearing, Mr Osborne praised the efforts of two staff and neighbours who saved the lives of the other 12 residents of the home.

Evidence presented to the Court showed that the elderly woman who probably started the fire and survived it was previously a patient at Carrington Hospital and on the night of the blaze was seen lighting matches.

Mr Osborne said cases involving multiple fatalities often resulted in witchhunts to attribute blame, but no-one was on trial at the Coroner’s Court and “least of all the unfortunate pyromaniac.” Sergeant Richard Davison told the Court that the 19 patients at

the home on the night of the fire were referred there by the Auckland Hospital Board from other institutions, and all had chronic behavioural problems. Two staff were on duty. Most of the residents had retired and nearly all had taken medication when a staff nurse made her rounds at 9.15 p.m. There were three residents smoking and watching television in the lounge. Nurse Robin Crappe and the matron and owner of the home, Mrs Mary McKearney, were at a flat attached to the home watching television when Nurse Crappe heard noises. On opening a door she saw the fire in the television lounge. The matron dialled emergency services but the telephone was dead. She pressed a fire alarm, and at the same time the lights failed. An emergency lighting system was activated but the smoke was so dense that people could not see, Sergeant Davison said.

the residents who died at the scene died directly as a result of injuries received in the fire combined with the inhalation of toxic fumes and smoke from the burning of synthetic carpets, foam mattresses and furniture. They were Buck Timoni, aged 55, James Charles Moffat, aged 64, and Hazel Hafford, aged 59, all beneficiaries of the Terwindle Rest Home. The same cause of death was listed for Robert Peter MartinLeverson, aged 77, who was taken to Auckland Hospital and died there next day. Two residents, David Lawrence, aged 47, and John Wilfred May, aged 78, died at the scene as a result of smoke inhalation complicating existing heart diseases. David Pollock Smith, aged 70, suffered heart trouble and a variety of other medical complaints and died in Auckland Hospital on July 15. “Smoke inhalation played a vital part in precipitating his death.”

Mr Osborne found that three of