A grandfather died when a flame from a gas fire set light to residues of a skin moisturiser on his clothing, a coroner has ruled.
James Rownsley’s family are now warning people how emollients can be dangerous because they are so flammable.
Around 50 people in England have been killed over five years when moisturisers on their clothing caught light, fire chiefs estimate.
Mr Rownsley, 89, lit a gas fire after getting up early and waiting for the heating to kick in at his home in Mexborough, near Doncaster, in February this year.
But a spark caught his clothing and ignited, which Mr Rownsley did not realise until he sat on his sofa. He then managed to get to his feet, but was unable to extinguish the flames, according to coroner Nicola Mundy.
He fell to the floor, where he died from severe burns, her report says.
She said she heard evidence the fire investigator determined that emollient cream, which he was using to treat a skin condition, was present on his clothing and was responsible for the the garments catching fire and:
The fire investigator added that the cream was: “also responsible for the intensity of the fire that would have very rapidly developed once fabric had been ignited”.
Ms Mundy issued a warning about the dangers of emollients and how even washing items cannot remove the risk.
She was told: “Despite the efforts of his local fire service, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, to educate their partners about the dangers associated with the use of emollients and them becoming absorbed in clothing and bedding (which cannot be removed by washing) and [sic] risk of ignition appear not to be fully appreciated by the partners with whom they deal such as General Practitioners, nurses and many others.”
Mr Rownsley’s family also made clear that the public were unaware of the dangers and had made their own efforts to educate the public, she said.
His granddaughter Sherrie-Leigh Higgins told Mail Online: “You never think something like this is going to happen to your family until it does.
“My grandad always used his gas heater to stay warm, but we didn’t know that the cream he used for his legs could be so dangerous.
“These creams, often used for treating skin conditions, can easily soak into clothes if you use them regularly and become a fire risk.
“If someone you love uses these creams, please make sure you and they know how they can keep themselves safe. I don’t want anyone else to go through the same trauma that we did.”
Mr Rownsley’s cause of death was recorded as accidental death from severe burns.
Ms Mundy, coroner for South Yorkshire East, highlighted in a prevention of future deaths report “the need for effective communication to partners and stakeholders responsible for either prescribing such emollients, or indeed caring for people in the community, of the dangers of using such creams particularly when in close proximity to flames or heat”.
Data held by Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory agency had a record of 15 deaths, against the fire services’ of 50.
So the system of reporting such data to the watchdog should be reviewed with consideration to making this more robust, she said, or for a system to be introduced.
“The risk seems to be heightened in situations where elderly persons or persons of lower income are using such methods to heat their homes to avoid the cost of putting central heating on of the entire property,” the coroner added.
The National Fire Chiefs Council is obliged to respond to the report within 56 days.
