A 28-year-old mother of two reportedly died in a house fire after a child set a teddy bear on fire while playing.
Chloe Doggett was on a video call with her friend, Phillipa Stevens, when a "crazy fire broke out that was 'blowing the roof off'" the home in Tonypandy, Wales. Stevens said she heard some people shouting "Chloe." Doggett got up from the bed and appeared to walk towards the door "with intensity," throwing her phone to the ground.
During Wednesday's inquest at Pontypridd Coroners' Court, assistant coroner Gaynor Kynaston concluded accidental death. A total of nine people had been in the three-story terraced house on Sept. 21, 2021, including Doggett and a man in one of the top-floor bedrooms.
A child reportedly playing in one of the other bedrooms on the top floor used a lighter to set fire to a cuddly toy before the fire quickly spread across the home. Doggett was the only person inside who was unable to exit the area, the blaze trapped her. Firefighters pulled her from the property; however, she died of a brain injury on Sept. 24 at Morriston Hospital.
South Wales Police initially put into question Doggett's boyfriend over the incident, but the criminal investigation was immediately dropped after one of the children on the property admitted to starting the fire. Doggett's boyfriend managed to leave the house, "I didn't realize Chloe was still in the bedroom until I got outside."
Detective Constable Stacey Vincent was the one who interviewed the child. According to Vincent, she was also aware the child had told a family member they had set fire to a "teddy bear." All the adults in the house were said to be smokers and the coroner was told that a lot of lighters and ashtrays were found throughout the property.
Emma Doggett, her mother, said after the hearing, "She was just the most kind person who would do anything and help anyone. She would not see anyone struggle. She was really bubbly and went through a lot with her children through no fault of her own. She was a good mother."
Doggett moved to south Wales, where she had a relationship and became a mother. She had two children from different relationships. According to her mother, she experienced issues with alcohol and drugs. Doggett, for a time, struggled with substance misuse but had "really matured" by 2021.
However, she then experienced traumatic personal and health issues, and she and her partner parted ways. Her mother added, "She started mixing with the wrong people in and her behavior spiraled. She admitted to me she had been taking cocaine and struggling to sleep."
