Petrol mistake kills man and daughter

Ella was seen by her mother trying to open the bathroom window

A father who died with his young daughter in a house blaze had probably used petrol to light a fire, an inquest has heard.

Neath Cororner's Court heard how Glanville Philip Nolan, 36, made a "valiant" attempt to save his 11-year-old daughter Ella Louise when fire tore through their home Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen near Ammanford, in June this year.

The bodies of father and daughter were found next to each other at the doorway of the upstairs bathroom.

Ella's mother Jayne Nolan, 30, told the hearing on Thursday that she had been ironing in the back room of their home when her husband rushed from the living room with a "look of horror" on his face.

I screamed to her to open the window, Jayne Nolan

She had earlier asked him to make the fire because Ella had complained of feeling chilly even though it was a bright, if breezy, summer's morning.

Mrs Nolan said the bottom of her husband's jeans were alight.

She and her husband ran into the front garden but soon realised that Ella, Mr Nolan's adopted chid, was still inside.

He ran through the smoke and poison gases up the stairs while Mrs Nolan ran round to the back garden where she saw her daughter at the bathroom window.

"I screamed to her to open the window," she said, but that was the last she saw of her daughter.

Members of her family broke down and wept as Mrs Nolan spoke at Thursday's inquest.

Fire investigation expert John Fitzjohn of Mid and West Fire Brigade said he found it "difficult to comprehend" that two people had died in a fire during the day in a house where people had been "awake and busy".

Attempts to rescue the pair failed

He said the "unusually rapid fire" had been helped by the use of petrol.

A petrol can - which was still wet around the cap - was later found in the garden shed.

Mr Nolan had planned to use the petrol to destroy an ants' nest in the garden.

Mr Fitzjohn said that it was likely that Mr Nolan had put an unknown quantity of petrol onto the unlit fire before returning the fuel can to the shed.

He had then tried to light the fire with his lighter which was later found in the ashes.

Activated

But Mr Nolan had probably not realised the danger of petrol vapour moving with the light breeze when doors were opened in the house.

Mr Fitzjohn said: "After he went out-of-doors, the petrol vapour spread throughout the living room. The breeze was moving the vapour around the home.

"When Mr Nolan activated the lighter he lit the vapour."

Recording verdicts of accidental death, Coroner Dr David Osbourne said it was a tragic accident which highlighted the danger of using petrol outdoors and indoors.