The 82-year-old was described by a neighbour as being a “funny, outgoing gentleman”
A pensioner who passed away in a house fire at his Co Antrim home last year would have “died quickly” after the accidental blaze was started by smoking in bed, an inquest has heard.
Matthew (Matt) Johnston passed away in the early hours of the morning on February 11, 2025, after a fire at his home in the Oakglen area of Antrim.
At an inquest into his death held at Belfast Laganside Court on March 2, Coroner Anne-Louise Toal said an emergency call was made from a neighbour’s house at approximately 3.50am, with the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service arriving within ten minutes.
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Despite this quick response, however, a “substantial fire” had unfolded on the first floor of the property. Mr Johnston was found in his bed in the front bedroom, and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, with the coroner adding he was “beyond help.”
The 82-year-old was last seen at his home at around 7.30pm on February 10 by his neighbour, Stephen Emerson. In a statement from Mr Emerson read to the inquest, he said Mr Johnston was a “funny, outgoing gentleman” who had been “in good spirits” that evening.
Mr Emerson brought his neighbour dinner, and as he was leaving, Matthew had been “lying on his bed, listening to the radio and singing.” He added that the pensioner had been “spening more time in bed recently as he said he was sore.”
Shortly before 4am on February 11, Mr Emerson recalled being woken up by a bang on his door from another neighbour, telling him “Matt’s house is on fire.” Stephen ran next door to Mr Johnston’s house, but said he could only go so far as the stair lift due to the flames upstairs.
He tried to put the flames out but couldn’t, and when the fire service arrived, informed them Matthew was in his bedroom upstairs.
Forensic pathologist, Dr Huddleston, told the inquest he conducted a postmortem examination of Mr Johnson’s body two days after his death, on February 13. He said Matthew had a range of pre-existing medical conditions including osetoperosis, COPD, pre-diabetes, and had a pacemaker fitted due to a “severe” cardiac issue, and had previously sufferred a heart attack.
Just before his death, Mr Johnston had reported feeling unwell, with Dr Huddleston finding evidence of pneumonia. Noting his cause of death to be due to inhaling fire gases, including carbon monoxide, Dr Huddleston said Matthew’s pre-existing conditions exacerbated his passing.
The pathologist added it’s “reasonable” to suggest Matthew would have passed away from inhalation of toxic gases quicker than a “fit and healthy person.”
Mr Johnston’s sister, Elizabeth Shergold, told the inquest her brother was in “quite poor health” and before his death had damaged his hip due to a fall, which impacted his mobility. She said she last saw him at the end of January 2025, and spoke to him over the phone a week before his passing.
Ms Shergold said her brother took to his bed around five days before he passed away, nothing that he was a heavy smoker, and would regularly smoke in bed including during the night.
NIFRS Station Commander McCann told the inquest the cause of the fire was deemed to be “accidental” with a lighter found in Mr Johnston’s bed and smoking materials located in his bedroom.
On arrival at the scene, Station Commander McCann explained that fire crews saw “visible smoke coming from the front bedroom on the first floor.” They found Mr Johnston in his bed, and moved him downstairs, first into the hallway then into the living room once it was determined he was deceased.
Ms McCann said there was one smoke alarm in the property, located downstairs, but this did not appear to be working. She said cigarette fires can be smouldering fires, often not taking hold for a few hours, and its spread would depend factors such as bedsheet materials.
“Given Matthew’s mobility issue, smoking in bed put him at a greater risk,” she added. Commander McCann highlighted that smoking in the home is a leading cause of fire deaths in Northern Ireland.
She also noted that Matthew’s bedroom door was open, which caused the fire to spread out into the hallway. Ms McCann added: “A closed internal door can give you up to 30 minutes of extra time in a fire.”
She higlighted the NIFRS free fire safety check, alvailable for those aged 50 and over, and urged anyone eligible to take part in this life-saving initative.
Coroner Toal expressed her condolences to Matthew’s family. Delivering her findings, the coroner said smoke inhalation would have led to “rapid unconsciousness” with Mr Johnston’s pneumonia and pre-existing conditions exacerbating this.
She added: “Matthew was smoking in bed, which acidentally ignited a fire from which an elderly man could not escape. He was alive when the fire commenced, but died rapidly, with his cause of death noted as smoke inhalation.”
Coroner Toal said it is her role to outline ways in which such deaths can be prevented in the future, adding that “most fire deaths are preventable.”
“This case highlights the danger of smoking in bed, which has been outlined as a leading cause of fire death,” she added.
“Please check smoke alarms are working, and closing internal doors can give you mre time. I would encourage members of the public to take up the offer of a free home check to ensure these deaths are prevented.”
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