A paraplegic former company director died in a house fire after continuing to smoke in a specialist hospital bed despite warnings that paraffin-based creams on his skin could soak into the bedding and create a serious fire risk, an inquest heard.
Keith Wicks, 78, lost the use of his legs in a tree-cutting accident in 2018. Despite being warned about the danger posed by emollients transferring onto bedsheets, he continued to smoke as many as 40 cigarettes a day.
He died in November last year after flames 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, could not find a fire blanket. A 999 call handler also advised her not to use water because electrical equipment, including the bed, was close to the fire.
Thick smoke prevented his family from reaching him. Mr Wicks was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters arrived.
At the inquest, coroner Maeve Sykes examined whether members of his family had missed opportunities to prevent the tragedy.
Paraplegic Keith Wicks, 78, continued to smoke up to 40 cigarettes a day despite being warned that emollients used to protect his skin could transfer to the bedsheets and create a serious fire risk
However, she concluded that his family had tried to respect his wishes while dealing with increasingly complex and demanding circumstances. Mr Wicks had the capacity to decide whether to smoke, despite understanding the associated dangers.
Norfolk Fire Service had been asked to carry out a home fire safety assessment, but the referral was closed after three unsuccessful attempts to contact him.
The inquest heard that a safeguarding review had since changed the procedure, with the fire service now informing the organisation that made the referral when an assessment cannot be completed.
Mr Wicks, who had been director of an investigation and security company until 2012, was paralysed from the waist down when a tree he was cutting fell on him.
A lifelong heavy smoker, he continued to smoke while receiving care at his three-bedroom semi-detached home.
During the final year of his life, he became completely bedbound and received three daily visits from carers at First Choice Care.
Fire broke out at the house in Norwich on the afternoon of November 6 last year
Mr Wicks’ partner, Mandy Edmonds, and others inside the house were unable to reach him through the thick smoke
Although he had begun developing Alzheimer’s disease, carers described him as a “dream client” and a “lovely gentleman” who retained the mental capacity to make decisions, including whether to smoke.
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Staff regularly reminded him not to light a cigarette for at least an hour after the paraffin-based creams had been applied to his skin, the inquest was told.
When asked what could be done if someone continued smoking despite the danger, a senior support worker said staff could not take away the person’s rights.
“We cannot take thing away from Keith,” she said.
Ms Edmonds had gone to prepare him a sandwich at lunchtime on November 6 when the 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 preesure-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.