Paralysed ex-company director dies in house fire after ignoring warnings about smoking in specialist hospital bed surrounded by highly flammable skin creams

A paraplegic former company director died in a blaze at home after he ignored warnings about smoking in a specialist hospital bed that often became impregnated with paraffin-based creams, an inquest has heard.Keith Wicks, 78 – who lost the use of his legs in 2018 following a tree-cutting accident - continued to smoke up to 40 cigarettes a day despite being told the emollients used to protect his skin posed a significant risk as they rubbed onto the bedsheets.He died in November last year when flames were found to have engulfed his mattress and curtains in the converted dining room where he slept at his home in Norwich, Norfolk.His partner of 29 years, Mandy Edmonds, was unable to find a fire blanket and a 999 call handler advised against using water to extinguish the blaze because of electrical equipment nearby, including the bed.Unable to get to him because of the thick smoke, his family couldn’t save him and Mr Wicks was declared dead at the scene after firefighters arrived.Coroner Maeve Sykes considered whether opportunities had been missed by his family to prevent the tragedy during the inquest. Paraplegic Keith Wicks, 78 continued to smoke up to 40 cigarettes a day despite being told the emollients used to protect his skin posed a significant risk as they rubbed onto the bedsheetsBut she concluded they had attempted to respect his wishes while managing increasingly complex and demanding circumstances and he had the capacity to decide whether to smoke, despite being aware of the dangers.A referral had been made to Norfolk Fire Service for a home fire safety assessment but this was closed after three unsuccessful attempts to make contact.The inquest was told a safeguarding review meant the fire service now reports back to the referring organisation if an assessment fails to take place.Mr Wicks, a director of an investigation and security firm until 2012, was paralysed from the waist down when a tree he was cutting down fell on him.He had been a heavy smoker all his life and continued the habit as he received care at his three-bedroom, semi-detached house.For the last year of his life he was completely bedbound and received visits from staff at First Choice Care three times a day. Fire broke out at the house in Norwich on the afternoon of November 6 last year Mr Wicks' partner, Mandy Edmonds, and other people in the house were unable to get to him through the thick smokeAlthough he had started to develop Alzheimer’s disease, carers – who described him as a ‘dream client’ and ‘lovely gentleman’ - said he retained the mental capacity to make decisions, including smoking.They regularly reminded him to avoid lighting up for at least an hour after the paraffin-based creams were applied to his skin, the inquest heard.Asked what could be done when someone smokes despite the risks, a senior support worker said staff couldn’t remove a person’s rights.‘We cannot take things away from Keith,’ she said.Ms Edmonds had gone to make him a sandwich at lunchtime on November 6 when fire broke out.She and family members were beaten back by the flames and smoke and by the time firefighters arrived, his shouting had stopped. Emergency services outside the house following the tragedy The cause of death was given as extensive thermal injuries sustained in a fire.Mr Wicks’ daughter, Judith, told the inquest her father’s death ‘was preventable’, adding: ‘My father need not have died in such a horrific way.’But family friend Nicole Hayes, who was assisting with housework on the day of the tragedy, said she had overheard warnings about the specialist pressure-relieving mattress when it was delivered.She described passing her concerns on to Ms Edmonds, saying: ‘Do you want Keith to go up in flames?’Evidence was presented to the hearing that Mr Wicks’ sheets were changed every week, leading to questions about whether this should have been done more frequently.This had not been identified in care planning, it was claimed, and Megan Tilbury, of Norfolk County Council’s older persons and physical disabilities team, said there was no formal risk assessment or evacuation plan.But Ms Sykes found there was no neglect or failure to provide basic care and recorded a conclusion of accidental death following the hearing last month.Ms Edmonds described her late partner as ‘a good man’, adding: ‘I miss him.’Careless disposal of cigarettes is the single biggest killer in accidental house fires, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.A total of 1,819 accidental dwelling fires started by smoking materials occurred in 2025-2026, leading to 43 deaths.