Fire which killed woman, 81, in Shrewsbury home caused by phone battery
An inquest heard how an overheated lithium-ion mobile phone battery turned into a fatal fire
Last updated 7th May 2026
An inquest has heard that the cause of fire which killed an 81-year-old woman in her Shrewsbury home was an overheated phone battery.
Dorothy Rose Roberts died in her bedroom at her home on Castle Street on 27 January 2026.
The fire service were called out in the early hours of the morning and said the fire was already 'severe' when they arrived, minutes after the report.
Dorothy was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest today (7 May) heard that the fire started in her bedroom and was the result of an overheated lithium-ion mobile phone battery.
The phone was placed near combustible bedding and spread quickly partly due to the home's historic 15th century timber-frame voids and the 'structural vulnerability of wattle and daub partitions'.
She died from the thermal effects of the fire, the inquest heard.