RELATIVES of an elderly woman want to know why she died during a chip pan fire at her home, despite living in sheltered accommodation.

Margaret Kenyon, 78, of Showley Court, Ribchester Road, Salesbury, was found on June 13 at 9.30am. She had been overpowered by smoke and fumes while trying to tackle the blaze on her own the night before, an inquest was told.

The Ribble Valley Borough Council bungalow was fitted with a smoke alarm which fire investigators believe went off, despite being silent when they arrived.

But Miss Kenyon's cousins, Doreen Robinson and Derek Harwood, said at her inquest in Blackburn that they could not understand why the alarm was not wired up to a central system.

Fire station officer Kevin Gibson told coroner Michael Singleton it appeared the blaze had started while Miss Kenyon cooked fish and chips .

But instead of leaving her home to get help, Miss Kenyon used water to douse the flames, creating a dangerous chemical reaction. Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death.

After the hearing a spokesman for Ribble Valley Borough Council said: "Smoke alarms in the bungalows are not linked to a central system, which is common practice. Twenty-four hour emergency cover is in operation."