A CORONER ruled that the death of a woman who was pulled out of a house fire in Sutton was an accident.

On April 15, 2024, emergency services were called to Sandringham Drive, Sutton, St Helens at about 10am to reports that a property was on fire.

The resident 68-year-old Maria Daly was taken from the home to hospital but later died of her injuries – which were described by the coroner as "catastrophic, severe burns".

The inquest, held at Bootle Town Hall on Friday, July 12, stated: “Maria was extracted from a house fire at her home at about 10.00 hours, she was in cardiac arrest and CPR was immediately commenced.

“All attempts at resuscitation continued in hospital until about 10.50 hours, when it was stopped, and Maria was pronounced deceased.

“Police were satisfied there was no third-party involvement in Maria's death.

“The fire which caused Maria catastrophic, severe burns was probably caused accidentally by smokers' materials' coming into contact with combustible materials such as bedding, it is also likely that strong winds at the time have aided the initial combustion and enhanced the development of the fire from which Maria was unable to extricate herself.”

In conclusion, the coroner listed her death as an accident.