Sportswoman Laura Edwards dies in Paddock Wood bedroom fire
Laura Edwards, a 53-year-old sportswoman well known in her local darts and bowls clubs, has died after a fierce fire tore through her family home in Paddock Wood, Kent, trapping her while her elderly father escaped by climbing onto a conservatory roof. An inquest in Maidstone heard she suffered a cardiac arrest from severe smoke inhalation and sustained third-degree burns before dying in hospital four days later, prompting an outpouring of tributes from her sporting and football communities.
The blaze broke out at around 12.40am on 9 May in a bedroom previously shared with her late husband, David, which had since been used for storage, and it destroyed much of the left side of the detached house on Cobbs Close. Neighbours made ten 999 calls, and five fire engines took about 15 minutes to arrive; investigators could not confirm the cause but said a discarded cigarette or deliberate ignition of a combustible substance were possible explanations. Laura, who worked as a personal assistant and at the Maidstone United club shop, was treated at King's College Hospital before being transferred to Broomfield Hospital, where she died on 13 May; a coroner recorded a conclusion of accident, and friends from Paddock Wood Bowls Club and the Foresters Arms Ladies darts team paid tribute to her "cheerful spirit".
- Sportswoman Laura Edwards, 53, died after a house fire in Paddock Wood
- Her father escaped via a conservatory roof; she was trapped inside
- Coroner recorded accidental death; cause of blaze unconfirmed
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Laura Edwards, 53, was a well-known figure in her local sporting community in Paddock Wood, Kent, playing darts and bowls and working at the Maidstone United club shop. She died after a fire broke out in her family home in the early hours of 9 May, in a bedroom that had once been shared with her late husband but was later used for storage.
The fire caused serious injuries, and Edwards was treated at two hospitals before dying four days later. Her elderly father, who was also in the house, managed to escape by climbing onto a conservatory roof.
An inquest in Maidstone has since examined how the fire started and how Edwards died, with a coroner reaching a formal conclusion. Her death prompted tributes from clubs and teams she was part of, reflecting her standing within the town's sporting and football circles.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Tributes pour in for ‘cheerful spirit’ sportswoman, 53, who died after devastating bedroom fire ripped through her home”.