A man who died in hospital after a large garage fire in Christchurch asked his flatmates where his dog was as he was pulled from the flames.
The Office of the Coroner this morning released a report into the death of Steven Ian Cameron, who died from multiple organ failures in hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries for his burns.
Coroner D P Robinson outlined the scenario which took place on April 11, 2017.
Mr Cameron, 50, lived in a flat on MacKenzie Avenue in Woolston with two other people and his dog, Hooch.
He liked to spend time working on cars and motorbikes in the property's garage, and often slept out there despite also having a room inside the house.
The garage didn't have a smoke alarm, and was home to numerous flammable chemicals and compounds, which the coroner said may have slowly been absorbed into the couches and bedding in the garage, making them much more flammable.
His dog would often be in the garage accompanying him.
Mr Cameron and Hooch slept in the garage on the night of April 10, and in the morning about 9.25, Mr Cameron wandered inside, looking tired, according to his flatmate.
He soon wandered back to the garage, and about 10 minutes later the flatmates became aware that a fire had broken out.
They went outside and saw Mr Cameron running out through a "wall of flame" through the garage's tilting door.
He was only wearing shorts, which were on fire, and much of his body was burned. His flatmates noted that only his face was unaffected.
He went straight inside and got into the shower, putting cold water on himself. His flatmates described him as "incoherent".
As Mr Cameron tried to treat his serious wounds, he didn't give any explanation as to how the fire started.
The only thing he said was, "Where's Hooch?"
Fire investigators found Hooch's body in the back room of the garage some days later.
The flatmates attempted to fight the fire with garden hoses, but the garage was filled with so many accelerants and fuel that it proved impossible to put out and the roof soon collapsed as gas bottles and chemicals exploded inside.
A neighbour had already made a call to the Fire Service - two fire engines arrived at 9.43 and 9.47 - but Mr Cameron was gone.
The coroner said that his flatmates had believed his injuries could be treated with first aid - so took him in a car to a nearby friends' house for help.
There, he was again put in the shower, but soon became agitated, and went outside where they continued to spray him with the hose.
About 10.47, they finally realised the extent of his injuries and called an ambulance.
In the coming weeks, he underwent several skin graft and burn removal surgeries, but complications arose and he developed sepsis, dying soon afterwards on April 26.
Doctors concluded that even if Mr Cameron had immediately been taken by ambulance to hospital, that would not have had an effect on his care, and ultimately, his death.
The coroner said that during the investigation, it was deemed that Mr Cameron was a semi-regular drug user and often used them in the garage.
Fire investigators, looking through the ashes and remnants of the garage, found an aluminium can which had been fashioned into a method of smoking cannabis, as well as the remains of a lighter.
They determined forensically that the two items were most likely being used in bed before the fire broke out.
Mr Cameron had most likely gone back to bed, smoked drugs there and fell back asleep before either the lighter or his can started a fire on or near his bed, authorities determined.
With flammable items in the environment, the fire had engulfed the garage in less than two minutes.
The coroner said that, despite some speculation at the time, investigators had ruled out any involvement with the manufacturing of drugs in a clandestine lab-type situation.
Lessons should be learned from Mr Cameron's death, the officials said: namely, the danger of smoking in bed, and the danger of sleeping in such a flammable environment.
He extended his deepest condolences to Mr Cameron's friends and family. Mr Cameron was a father of six.
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