A DEVASTATING house fire which killed two people and left a baby orphaned was caused by an eco fuel burner.

Administrator Sharon Soares, 30 and her husband Blaise Alvares, 33 were critically injured when a fire ripped through their Manchester Road home just before midnight on Sunday, November 6.

Sharon died in hospital on November 9 from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by smoke inhalation.

Blaise, who was in critical condition in hospital for more than a month died from his injuries on December 23. Their then 17 month-old daughter Brooke survived.

The family had been living at the property since 2011 which they shared with Gracino, Maleeva and Glen Fernandes.

Glen slept in the back bedroom, his father and sister shared the middle bedroom and Sharon and Blaise were in the front bedroom

The Alvares family had the use of the living room, with one side of the front room cordoned off with a curtain, which Blaise used as a bedroom occasionally.

Glen said he had been working on his laptop around 11.15pm when he was startled by noise downstairs.

He said: “I heard some noise downstairs, unusual noises you don’t hear, I saw my computer battery wasn’t charging. I came outside and there was a lot of smoke, it was really thick. I saw Sharon downstairs saying to me, call 999, there’s a fire.”

Glen, his father and sister tried to go downstairs. They tried kicking at the front door but it was locked. Glen returned to his bedroom alone, squeezed through an air vent and jumped down. He then climbed onto the garage to make his way to the front.

He said: “I tried to knock the front door down. I dragged my dad and my sister out. I saw Blaise being dragged out by paramedics.”

Gracino said: “I suddenly heard Sharon shouting for help. She ran up the stairs from the living room shouting to call the fire brigade, Blaise ran upstairs. There was thick black smoke. We were kicking the front door to get out. The next thing I remember is waking up outside. I thought I was going to die in that house.”

Emergency services rescued Blaise and Brooke from the front corridor, Blaise had suffered 35 per cent burns to his arms, legs and back along with smoke inhalation injuries.

Sharon was found in the upstairs front bedroom and was the last to be rescued.

The court heard the central heating was rarely used due to expense and Blaise, Glen and Gracino had gas heaters in their living quarters

During a fire investigation, two plastic bottles of eco fuel along with clothing, kitchen equipment and a metal box of a fireplace were found in the living room.

Fire investigator Michael Bagnall said elongated burn holes in the wooden floor in the vicinity of the fireplace led him to believe the blaze had originated from there.

The curtain partition was in the vicinity of where the ‘seat of the fire’ was believed to have been.

The heaters were criticised by fire investigator Mr Bagnall who warned the devices should only be used outside and for homeowners to follow usage guidelines.

The court heard the house was fitted with two smoke alarms, one of which was missing a battery and the other one which did not work.

Assistant coroner for Swindon & Wiltshire, Nicholas Rheinberg said: “I find as a fact that it was a bio ethanol fuelled fire that caused the blaze, flammable material having come into contact with the heat source

“One can imagine the total disorientation apart from potentially being overcome by fumes. This is an indication of how serious this particular fire was.

“I would understand why the family of Sharon and Blaise would not wish to have to listen to the harrowing details that we have heard this morning, my condolences go out to them."

He concluded both deaths to be accidents.