Elderly Lavenham woman Maire Ramsay died after her dressing gown caught fire, inquest told

An 87-year-old woman from Lavenham died after her dressing gown caught fire, an inquest heard.

Maire Ramsay had been heating soup on a gas cooker for supper at her home in Bolton Street when her sleeve caught alight.

The inquest today at Suffolk Coroner's Court in Ipswich was told that despite having suffered 25 per cent burns, Mrs Ramsay did not use her alarm to summon help but instead went to bed as she did not want to disturb anyone.

The hearing was told that Mrs Ramsay had said she was unable to untie the cord of her burning dressing gown with one hand but did eventually manage to pull it off.

After being taken to West Suffolk Hospital, Mrs Ramsay was transferred to the regional specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford where she died on October 2.

The cause of Mrs Ramsay's death was given as multiple organ failure and burns.

Assistant Suffolk Coroner Dr Daniel Sharpstone recorded a conclusion that she died as a result of multiple organ failure secondary to burns.