Cause of caravan fire that killed man and his daughter, 10, unknown – inquest
Lee Baker and his daughter Esme were enjoying a weekend away together when their caravan caught fire near Skegness.
The exact cause of a caravan fire at a holiday park that killed a father and his 10-year-old daughter is unknown because evidence was destroyed in the blaze, an inquest has heard.
Lee Baker, 48, and his daughter Esme were spending a weekend together at Golden Beach Holiday Park in Roman Bank, Ingoldmells, near Skegness, Lincolnshire, when they both died in the early hours of April 5 this year.
An inquest at Lincoln Coroner’s Court was told on Tuesday that two possible causes of the fire include a discarded cigarette or a malfunctioning phone or tablet.
Simon Cartwright, the fire investigation officer for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, told the inquest that the blaze started in the rear of the caravan.
Giving evidence, Mr Cartwright said: “Lee was known to smoke cigarettes. There was no evidence of smoking materials found inside or outside the caravan, however, this could be due to the intensity of the fire.”
Mr Baker had been seen smoking on the decking of his caravan before he went to bed hours before the fire.
Mr Cartwright added that a mobile phone and tablet were found in Esme’s bedroom and that it was not known if those had been connected to a power source, but the tablet had a charging cable inserted when it was found in the debris.
Specialists were unable to conclude whether the mobile phone or tablet had malfunctioned because the devices were so badly damaged, the court heard.
Mr Cartwright said the “severity and intensity” of fires in static caravans can “significantly hinder the ability to gather physical evidence” because the materials used to build them cause flames to spread rapidly and burn at high temperatures.
He told the coroner: “Due to the damage, it was not possible to make a definitive determination.”
Detective Inspector Kara Nicholson, of Lincolnshire Police, told the inquest that CCTV footage had shown Mr Baker and Esme “happy and in good spirits” the evening before the fire.
She added: “We conclude there is no third-party involvement in the fire and the deaths of Esme and Lee.”
Assistant coroner Lindsay Tasker told members of the family, who attended the inquest, that the cause of their deaths was smoke inhalation.
She apologised to the relatives for the fact “that the investigation and this inquest has been unable to answer the question of what caused this fire”.
Ms Tasker said: “Whatever the cause of the fire, given any deliberate or third-party involvement has been ruled out, I’m satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the cause was accidental in nature.”
The inquest heard that Mr Baker, who was from Nottinghamshire, bought the caravan in November last year and had brought Esme there every weekend before they died.
They had both been in the pub at the holiday park until about 11pm the evening before their deaths, where the father had been drinking but did not appear to be drunk, the court was told.
The coroner heard that the day after the fatal fire, he had planned to take Esme to a trampoline park with a friend.
There is no evidence that the fire was caused by defects in the caravan site’s electrical system, and the electrical and gas checks were up to date, the court heard.
In a statement read aloud to the inquest, Mr Baker’s mother said: “Lee most of all loved spending time with his one and only daughter, Esme.
“Lee and Esme loved their weekends away together in their caravan but sadly it was their caravan that took them away.”
A GoFundMe page set up for Mr Baker and Esme’s family after their deaths described them as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”.
