Pensioner, 74, dies from smoke poisoning after cooking chips in household lubricant oil
- Carol Oldfield, 74, used 3-In-One lubricant oil to cook chips on her kitchen hob
- She went to another room in her home in Ripley, Derbyshire and then fell asleep
- Her house filled with white smoke which she inhaled – she died days later
- Coroner ruled that misadventure.
An elderly woman died from smoke poisoning after she mistakenly cooked with lubricant instead of cooking oil.
Carol Oldfield put 3-In-One lubricant oil on her chips and turned on the hob in the kitchen of her home in Ripley, Derbyshire.
The 74-year-old retired machinist then went into another room where she fell asleep for around two hours.
When she woke up, her house was full of white smoke from the burning oil, which she inhaled, leading to her death some days later.
Carol Oldfield put 3-In-One lubricant oil on her chips and turned on the hob in the kitchen at her Ripley, Derbyshire home before falling asleep for two hours (stock photo)
A medical examination of her brain for an inquest into her death at Derby Coroner’s Court has revealed that she had early signs of dementia.
Assistant coroner Emma Serran revealed how Mrs Oldfield called Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service on March 6 this year just after 7pm, the remote hearing was told.
When she woke up, her house was full of white smoke created by the burning oil, which she inhaled, leading to her death some days later (stock photo)
Mrs Oldfield told the call handler that her house was full of smoke and she could not find her way out.
Three fire engines were sent to the scene, one from Ripley and two from Alfreton. Police and an ambulance also attended.
Firefighters told Mrs Oldfield to wait upstairs until they could ventilate the ground floor.
They then escorted her out of the house, and at first she seemed to have suffered little damage and was taken to hospital for checks.
But Dr Marco Giovannelli, consultant at Royal Derby Hospital, detailed in a report how her condition slowly worsened, with Mrs Oldfield complaining of a hoarse throat and coughing over the next few days.
She was eventually moved to end-of-life care on March 16, and passed away two days later.
A Derby Coroner ruled that Mrs Oldfield did not intend to take her own life, and the reason was put down to misadventure
Miss Serrano, summing up the case, said: ‘Mrs Oldfield put three-in-one oil on her chips, which is different from cooking oil.
‘She turned on the hob and went into the front room and fell asleep.
‘The room filled with white smoke, which she inhaled.
‘She woke up and called the fire service who managed to get her out of the address but sadly the damage had already happened.
‘She did not recover and sadly passed away.’
Her technical cause of death was given as 1A Pneumonia and 1B smoke inhalation.
The coroner ruled that Mrs Oldfield did not intend to take her own life, and the reason was put down to misadventure.