THE death of an elderly woman caused by her armchair setting on fire has triggered an inquiry into the manufacturer’s product.

Patricia Mallon was asleep at her home in Linmead Drive, Kinson when the armchair she was sitting in set alight.

An inquest into her death has prompted to East Dorset coroner Sheriff Payne to write to Sherborne, producer of the electric ‘lift and rise’ chair.

Yesterday's hearing at Bournemouth heard the 84-year-old was found on the floor with burns to her back on October 15. Firefighters were alerted by Age UK after Ms Mallon set off her personal wrist alarm.

She was rushed to hospital but, despite efforts to save her, she died on November 3 at Southmead Hospital, Bristol from multiple organ failure, pneumonia and burns with smoke inhalation.

Dorset Fire and Rescue group manager Stuart Granger said “there was no evidence to suggest the fire had been started deliberately” and that the insurance company’s investigator corroborated his findings.

He told the hearing Ms Mallon, who had been diagnosed with alzheimer’s and had limited mobility, had released fluids which seeped into the mechanism of the armchair causing a spark.

“It is, in my gathered opinion, that the most likely cause of this fire was an electrical fault in the chair, caused by the ingress of fluid into the chair,” he said.

The chair, he added, was found to “rarely have any manufacturing faults”.

Claire Leslie, one of Ms Mallon’s four daughters, said the “chair was her pride and joy.”

“It would be just horrific for this to happen again,” she said.

“Elderly people do often suffer from incontinence. The majority of these chairs are bought by the elderly. Is it something that should be investigated by the manufacturers? That has to be looked at because this was a tragedy. It’s terrible but something’s got to be done.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Payne said: “I will write a report to the manufacturers and ask if there are any steps they can take which might mitigate any events happening in future.”

Claire, Delia Gorse, Maria Mallon and Anne Lydon thanked the firefighters and medical staff for giving them “precious time” with their mother – grandmother to six – after the incident, adding: “Our mother was a very colourful character, very bright and funny.”