Plan B Forum

The body of a Derbyshire woman whose house caught fire was not found for three days due to the amount of rubbish in the property, an inquest has heard.

It took crews hours to put out the fire at the house on Welllington Street in Long Eaton in January 2011, as papers were stacked floor to ceiling.

Derby Coroner's Court heard how "obsessive hoarder" Linda Parkes, 59, had refused help for her problem.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

Giving evidence, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue's station manager David Paul said the most likely cause of the fire was piles of rubbish in the kitchen being set alight by gas rings on a hob which Miss Parkes used to keep herself warm.

"We had been unable to locate her anywhere," said Mr Paul. "Several rooms were full of debris, from the floor to the ceiling."

The court heard Miss Parkes was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder in 2005 but had declined offers of help from medical and social services staff.

Two months before her death she had been issued with a notice ordering her to tidy her garden.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-de ... e-17554767

Compulsive hoarding (or pathological collecting) is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by the excessive acquisition and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that would seemingly qualify as useless or without value. Compulsive hoarding behavior has been associated with health risks, impaired functioning, economic burden, and adverse effects on friends and family members. When clinically significant enough to impair functioning, hoarding can prevent typical uses of space so as to limit activities such as cooking, cleaning, moving through the house, and sleeping. It can also be dangerous if it puts the individual or others at risk for fire, falling, poor sanitation, and other health concerns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_hoarding