Faulty blanket led to baby death

The fire was at the family home on Killyblight Road

A faulty electric blanket led to the fire that killed an 18-month-old baby girl in County Londonderry, the inquest into her death has heard.

Sarah Jane Mullan was in a cot in her parents' bedroom in their home in Dungiven when their blanket, which was 15 years old, caught fire last June.

She suffered extensive burns and died in hospital the following day.

Forensic scientist Ken Arnold said electric blankets should be serviced every three years and dumped after 10.

Sarah Jane's parents and three siblings aged five, 10 and 12 suffered severe smoke inhalation during the blaze.

Stephen and Marie Mullan told the senior coroner John Lecky how they tried to rescue the youngest of their four children from the bedroom but were driven back by a combination of intense heat, flames and thick smoke.

Mrs Mullan said she always switched on the electric blanket on her bed for a short period before she and her husband retired to bed.

'Valiant'

She said the smoke from the fire activated two smoke alarms in her home.

Sarah Jane's uncle, Trevor Mullan, told the inquest that he got a ladder up to the first floor bedroom and smashed a window. He then trained a farm yard hose on the fire.

Sarah Jane died in Altnagelvin Hospital the day after the fire

He said he was unable to get into the bedroom because of the flames and heat. But he did manage to reach into Sarah Jane's cot and pull the badly burnt baby out.

The coroner was told that baby Sarah Jane was still alive after she was pulled from her cot.

The emergency services applied medical oxygen to her before taking her to hospital where she died several hours later.

The coroner as well as two fire officers said it was the first time they had ever been involved in an inquest in which a faulty electric blanket caused a fatal fire.

Forensic scientist Ken Arnold said the constant using and folding of an electric blanket could cause its wiring system to become brittle and he said blankets should be serviced every three years and dumped every ten.

The coroner said baby Sarah Jane's parents had done everything possible to save their daughter.

Mr Lecky said in no way should Mr and Mrs Mullan feel any responsibility for the tragic death of their baby daughter and he expressed his condolences to the Mullan family.