An inquest in Rochdale heard how mother-of-four Kate Mulcahy, 37, died in a fierce fire at her £1.2 million home in Middleton, Greater Manchester, despite her estranged husband John's desperate attempt to reach her by climbing a drainpipe onto the roof. Ms Mulcahy had been sleeping alone in the attic bedroom after the couple separated, while Mr Mulcahy and their four children, aged one to nine, were asleep downstairs and escaped safely after the house's ten smoke alarms triggered. Coroner Michael Salt recorded her death as "sad and tragic", with no suspicious circumstances, and evidence pointed to the fire possibly being caused by careless use of smoking materials.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of 10 March 2024, with the first smoke alarm activating at 3.51am; Mr Mulcahy, a bricklayer, ran into the street naked with his children before neighbours took them in, and he later broke through a Velux window and roof tiles trying to reach his wife but was driven back by heat and flames, with witnesses hearing him screaming her name. Toxicology showed Ms Mulcahy had been drinking, though below drink-driving limits, and had taken low levels of amphetamines and cannabis after attending a baby shower, which a pathologist said may have slowed her escape; he concluded fire fumes rapidly rendered her unconscious, with burns and fume inhalation the likely cause of death. A forensic scientist said a "flashover" had engulfed the attic room and could not rule out smoking materials, a naked flame or electrical failure as the cause, while neighbours who tried to reach her were beaten back by a "wall of fire".