Woman dies in house blaze

Firefighters found the woman, named by neighbours as Eileen Gill, unconscious upstairs in her home in Park Grove, Worsbrough Common, Barnsley, and carried her outside into the fresh air.

But despite the efforts of paramedics who battled to revive the 82-year-old, she was pronounced dead at hospital a short time later.

An official police and fire service investigation has been launched but a carelessly discarded cigarette may have started the blaze.

Firefighters were called to the terrace house at 12.45am after a neighbour who could smell smoke went outside to investigate and spotted the fire.

They smashed open the front door to get inside and two firefighters wearing specialist breathing apparatus tackled the blaze while two others searched the house.

Incident commander Simon Dillon said the woman did not have any smoke alarms fitted in her house.

“Nobody knows what the outcome would have been.

“But if smoke alarms had been fitted the fire the woman would certainly have stood more of a chance of getting out - a 100 times more of a chance of surviving,” he said.

“We can’t stress enough how invaluable alarms are and how they really can save lives.”

He said the fire is believed to have been smouldering away for some time before finally taking hold and ripping through the bedroom.

The rest of the house suffered extensive smoke damage.

Neighbour Marjorie Turvey, 78, described Mrs Gill - who was a widower who had been married twice - as “a real character”.

“She said she had been independent until recent years when she began to spend more time insider her house and did not venture much further than the local corner shop.

“She was a bright and knowledgeable lady and very independent until her later years.

“Even when she was in her late 70s you would see her up ladders painting her house,” she said.

“She loved her garden and people will remember seeing her in it., keeping it tidy.

“It is sad that she died in this way at such a good age and a lot of people will be shocked when they find out.”

Mrs Gill is believed to have lived on the same street for around 50 years.

She is survived by a daughter, who is believed to live in Spain, and one son.