The inquest into the death of a woman who died in a house fire has been adjourned for further enquiries.
On Wednesday, April 8, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of a fire in a home on Rosemary Way in Downham Market.
The inquest into her death, held on Friday, November 13 at Norfolk Coroner’s Court in Norwich, heard there were two possible explanations for the cause of the blaze, but there was no conclusive evidence for either.
An investigation report said the fire could have either started as a result of discarded cigarettes, or could have been started deliberately by the occupant.
Evidence read aloud in court said Ms Wright was a smoker, and the inquest heard there were empty cigarette packets found in the home.
It also heard Ms Wright had an “extensive history” with the area’s mental health services, dating back to 1995.
A statement read out on behalf of Nikki Hewitt, Ms Wright’s sister, said the 49-year-old lived on her own after separating from her husband in September 2019. She also said Ms Wright suffered with epilepsy and anxiety.
The statement said: “Rachel was very angry at the world and felt she had been dealt a bad card in life with her epilepsy and was somewhat upset that we could live normal lives and she couldn’t.
“Living on her own was a concern because of her epilepsy, she had scolded herself before while having a blackout when she was cooking over 10 years ago.”
A statement read out on behalf of Ms Wright’s friend said she was prone to problems with memory and learning and suffered from epileptic fits. It said she had been “spaced out” since starting smoking.
A post-mortem report said the medical cause of Ms Wright’s death was inhalation of fire fumes.
Senior coroner Jacqueline Lake told the court there was no conclusive evidence to explain the cause of the fire. She adjourned the inquest with a date yet to be set until further enquiries were made about any proposals for residential housing support for Ms Wright.
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