Joseph Sarkozi

PFD Report All Responded Ref: 2016-0055
Date of Report 12 February 2016
Coroner Peter Horrowing
Coroner Area Avon
Response Deadline ✓ from report 8 April 2016
All 1 response received · Deadline: 8 Apr 2016
Sent To
  • Avon Fire and Rescue Services
Response Status
Responses 1 of 1
56-Day Deadline 8 Apr 2016
All responses received
About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Coroners Concerns
_ The fire officers who attended the premises concluded that the ceiling lights in the kitchen were the most Iikely source of the smoke and smell which had been detected: This conclusion was reached as no other source of the smoke and smell was found. This conclusion was reached notwithstanding there had been no report of any previous problems with the light fittings; no smoke or smell be detected coming from the light fittings when inspected; the boxes in the room above the light fittings had been dislodged some time before the smoke and smell was detected; no obvious layer of dust was observed in the room above the light fittings The fire service should disseminate nationally the learning from this incident to ensure that other fire officers and fire fighters are aware 0f the risk of concluding that dust on light fittings can be the cause of smoke and burning smell in the absence of any positive evidence
Responses
DownloadAvon Fire PFD response
29 Mar 2016
Response received
View full response
Dear Dr Harrowing am in receipt of your Regulation 28 report relating to an incident AF&RS attended at 16 Tewkesbury Road, Bristol, on 30th August 2015, sadly involving the death of Mr J Sarkozi have considered your report and detail below actions taken, or to be taken by the service to help prevent future deaths. Information relating to this incident will be shared throughout AF&RS in the following manner: This scenario will be included in appropriate training packages to raise awareness among operational crews. The training will be an ongoing process initiated within the next training year; commencing this April. Via our "Fire Alert" system which is used to notify all operational personnel of urgent operational considerations and displayed on notice boards at all work locations_ Initial information provided for use at incidents to crews within our Risk Card system has also been reviewed Some amendments will be made to the Domestic and Residential Fires card_ Copies of the Fire Alert and Risk Card are enclosed. The AF& RS Fire Alert will also be distributed via CFOA to the wider Fire Service community to raise awareness of this incident and subsequent Coroners case trustythese measures will meet with your requirements and discharge our duty under Regulation 28 report: Yours {sincerely Kevin Pearson Chief Fire OfficerIChief Executive PReventing PRotecting Responding Avon Fire & Rescue Service is provided by Avon Fire Authority Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Kevin Pearson MA MCGI MIFireE Chairman of Avon Fire Authority Councillor Peter Abraham Avon Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters, Temple Back, Bristol BS1 6EU Telephone 0117 926 2061 Fax 0117 925 0980 kevin pearson@avonfire gov.uk your U
Action Should Be Taken
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and believe your organisation has the power to take such action.
Report Sections
Circumstances of the Death
Shortly after midnight on 3Oth August 2015 a 999 call was placed by the next door neighbour of the deceased who lived in a terraced house: The report was of a smell of burning smoke Three appliances from the Avon Fire and Rescue Services (the 'fire service') attended promptly and proceeded to try and identify the source of the small and smoke_ There was no external evidence of any fire when they arrived on scene On entering the premises of the caller the fire officers and fire fighters reported only slight smoke and smoky smell in the premises_ The front door of the caller's premises was left open and the windows were later opened to ventilate any smoke. One the windows had been opened no more smoke was evident A search of the house was made a thermal imaging camera to try and identify any hot spots within the premises_ The fire fighters could only find hot spots associated with four down lighters in the kitchen ceiling which had tungsten bulbs On the kitchen ceiling around the light fittings the fire officers noted there were sooty deposits Examination of the light fittings through the floorboards of the room above did not reveal any smell or smoke coming from those light fittings Watch Manager inspected the roof of the caller's property as well as those of the neighbouring properties at the front and rear from ground level using a torch and no signs of were detected. The Watch Manager knocked on the door of the adjoining property, where the deceased resided, and could not obtain any response_ However; dogs could be heard barking in the premises There was no letterbox in the front door through which the Watch Manager could look into the premises_ No alarms or smoke detectors could be heard in the deceased's premises It was determined that there were no grounds at that time to force entry to the premises of the deceased. During the time the fire officers were at the caller's premises the caller made known to them that during that day some cardboard boxes had been knocked over in the room above the kitchen which had no floor covering over the floorboards It was thought that this might have disturbed some dust which had since come into contact with the hot surfaces of the_tungsten bulbs causing_the smoke and smell thathad been detected and using fire

Having not found any source of the smoke and smell the Watch Manager (B) who was the officer in charge, concluded that the source of the smoke and smell was due to dust on the tungsten bulbs Fire fighters proceeded to remove the tungsten bulbs an also gave the caller general fire safety advice at the scene The officer in charge advised Fire Control that this had been a false alarm with good intent. The appliances left the scene the last one left approximately 25 minutes after arrival Approximately 10 minutes after the last appliance left the scene the original caller made a further 999 call and reported that she could see flames and smoke coming out of the rear first floor window of the adjoining property. She also reported hearing a man screaming in the premises but this had stopped. Five minutes later the first appliance was on scene_ Forced entry was made to the premises of the deceased and fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the building: They found little evidence of fire or smoke on the ground floor The deceased was found in his bedroom on the first floor at the rear of the premises The fire fighters found significant smoke damage but only glowing embers in this bedroom which were extinguished: The deceased was pronounced dead at the scene: An investigation was carried out by the fire services which concluded that the most likely cause Of the fire was discarded smoking materials having ignited bedding materials in the first floor rear bedroom_ During the investigation a hole was found in a wall of the bathroom on the first floor of the deceased s premises which was directly adjacent to the property of the caller: It was concluded that this hole was the most Iikely means by which smoke and smell entered the adjoining property:
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.