Carnkie gas explosion 'victim' packed house with gas cylinders and ignited with matches
A pensioner who died following a huge gas explosion near Helston dragged gas cylinders into his house and then started a fire with matches.
In the early hours of January 22 2018 Devon and Cornwall Police , Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and South Western Ambulance Service were called to a semi-detached bungalow in Carnkie near Helstonfollowing the explosion .
The property was inhabited by Michael Coddington, believed to be in his early seventies, who was rushed to Royal Cornwall Hospital before being transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he was treated for severe burns.
Despite medical staff battling to save Mr Coddington, he later died in hospital .
Last month, a year on from the incident, Cornwall Live reported that there would be no inquest into the death of Mr Coddington, his death attributed to “natural causes”.
However following the latest article Cornwall Live has spoken with Carnkie residents, some of whom remain without a home after their neighbouring properties were caught up in the explosion.
Some of these residents said that Mr Coddington had gas cylinders inside his home which were then ignited.
Following a Freedom of Information request to Cornwall Council a copy of the fire incident log has been sent to Cornwall Live.
The log shows the emergency call timed as 00:27am and that four teams of firefighters attended the scene.
The main cause of the fire was listed as “heat source and combustibles brought together deliberately” and the source of the fire confirmed as matches.
The rapid growth of the fire was caused by gas and the explosion a result of the fire.
Crucially, the log confirms that a number of gas cylinders were present within the bungalow.
When Cornwall Live reporter Chris Matthews passed the scene recently he described the house lying in the exact state of ruin, fenced off from the rest of the street, as it did when he visited the scene the day after the explosion.
Mr Coddington’s house was destroyed by the gas explosion and the subsequent fire as debris was sent flying in all directions. The debris travelled considerable distances, leaving the street and cars parked outside covered in gas, insulation and other pieces of the home.
No-one else was injured but all surrounding properties were evacuated with all occupants accounted for and housed by family and friends in the village. A number of other nearby properties were damaged by the blast and flying debris.
Nearby residents spoke of a hearing a huge bang and seeing flames shoot up high into the night sky.
Carnkie resident Mark Lynam described the incident, saying his family was woken up in the early hours of the night in question when there was a very loud explosion.
He said at the time: “We live about 200m away and heard a huge bang and the house shook, then looked out the window and could see a house was on fire.”
Neighbour Brian Kneebone was also woken by the bang.
Brian lives on the opposite side of the road and the force smashed a pane of glass in one of his windows.
He said: “We heard this loud bang. We got out of bed and we could see flames coming out of our neighbour’s bungalow.
“The windows in what used to be my daughter’s bedroom were all shattered by the explosion. We could see flames. I called the fire brigade but other people had already called them. The next thing I know is the firefighters turned up and started tackling the fire. They were here all night.”
Mr Kneebone said one of his neighbours had his wardrobe fall on them while he slept as the blast shook the whole street "like an earthquake".
He added: “The neighbours were in bed and their wardrobe blew on top of them. They’re OK and are staying at another neighbour right now.”
How I got the story
This is another story that I followed from start to finish, covering it as it developed over the course of 12 months.
Initially I was dispatched to the scene of the explosion being the reporter who lived closest to it.
At the scene I found utter devastation and spent the best part of the day there, speaking to neighbours, emergency service personnel and generally assessing the damage.
About a month later it became known that the occupant had died and I then checked some months later to find out there would be no inquest and that he'd died of 'natural causes'.
It was at this time I began to hear whispers of something more sinister and that the man had deliberately blew up his own house.
I spoke to a couple of people who said that it was the case, but were unwilling to say anymore about it. I then sent off an FOI request to the council for the fire report which eventually came back and confirmed that he had indeed packed his house with gas canisters before settling light to it. This article was well received by villagers who were happy that the man was no longer painted as a victim and that the truth was out there for all to read.
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