Mum died after saving children from fire - inquest

An inquest hears how Kayleigh Rhianne Lennox's "courage and very decisive action" saved her two children

A mother died after saving her two children from an accidental house fire, an inquest has heard.

In her first 999 call, Kayleigh Rhianne Lennox, 27, said there was a blaze coming up the stairs in her house in Cant Crescent, Upperby, Carlisle, at about 23:20 BST on 28 April.

Assistant Cumbria coroner Margaret Taylor said Ms Lennox dropped her two children, then aged four and three, to safety from the upstairs window before she collapsed.

Cockermouth Coroners' Court heard on Thursday Ms Lennox suffered multi-organ failure, burns to 30% of her body and inhalation injury. She died on 1 May.

Ms Taylor said through Ms Lennox's "courage and very decisive action she managed to ensure that her two children survived this terrible event".

A Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service incident investigator concluded that the blaze originated in the downstairs living room, behind a sofa.

An appliance plugged into a socket was likely to have been the cause of the fire, the probe found.

Ms Lennox made several 999 calls and told emergency services how she could not get out and was struggling to breathe.

The court heard how residents in the street used children's scooters to smash through locked front and back doors, in a desperate bid to assist the family.

'Terrible event'

Firefighters found Ms Lennox unconscious in the bedroom with extensive burns.

She was removed from the property through a window, lowered to the ground on a ladder and transported to the regional burns unit at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

She received intensive care support and underwent surgery for her injuries but her condition deteriorated and she died days later.

"Tragically this fire has caused the death of a young mother of two and due to her courage and very decisive action Kayleigh has managed to ensure that her two children survived this terrible event," the coroner said.

"My final conclusion is that this was an accidental death - a tragedy for her family," Ms Taylor added.

The inquest also heard how Ms Lennox had studied childcare at Carlisle College and later worked in Carlisle for supermarket Morrisons.