Elderly couple killed in Nelson house fire caused by gas heater leak

William Mumford, 90, and his wife Marlene, 84, perished in a house fire at their Heol Fawr home in Nelson, Caerphilly borough, after a portable gas heater released gas that ignited. Earlier that morning a neighbor helped the couple move a 13 kg propane cylinder, noting rust on its base. Later, a passerby saw six-foot flames and a toppled cylinder outside the house.

Emergency crews arrived but could only view the bodies through the doorway; post-mortem tests showed high carboxyhaemoglobin levels, confirming carbon-monoxide poisoning. Police and fire investigators ruled out third-party involvement, attributing the blaze to a faulty heater connection or missing jubilee clip. The coroner recorded both deaths as accidental, describing the incident as a tragic, singular event.