A WOMAN suffered a heart attack after attempting to extinguish a fire at her Rossendale home.

An inquest heard how Patricia Turner, 64, of Burnley Road, Weir, had returned from shopping in Burnley before the blaze.

Richard Taylor, acting East Lancashire coroner, said she had started cooking on the gas hob before leaving pans unattended to go to the toilet. By the time she got back, a fire had broke out, which she attempted to extinguish.

Dr Walid Salman, a pathologist at Burnley General Hospital, said it was likely that the panic caused Mrs Turner to suffer a heart attack.

Her husband Malcolm, 63, who suffers from Alzheimer's, was found unconscious after the fire in their home at Burnley Road, Weir, on Saturday, January 11.

Mrs Turner's body was found by carer, Michael Tinker, who worked for Hazelwood Nursing Care, based in Rawtenstall. He was making his morning call to the house at around 9.30am. He said: "I looked through the window and saw Malcolm sat in his chair so I rang the bell but got no reply.The kitchen door was open, I noticed there had been a fire. I turned round to go into the hall but Patricia was on the floor. All I could think was to get Malcolm out."

Mr Taylor concluded: "She was in a state of panic and that led her to having a heart attack at that time. But I have to consider that if there hadn't been a fire in the first place, even though she had a weak heart, she wouldn't have passed away at that time, which is why I am returning a verdict of accidental death."