A DISABLED smoker died after he was unable to escape his flat when it caught fire.

David Keith Bunting, 62, was left with severely limited mobility after a stroke.

When the blaze broke out in his lounge he was unable to get out.

An inquest heard that the 62-year-old, known as Keith, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the fire at his home in Eastgate, Worksop, on February 27 last year.

The blaze is thought by investigators to have been caused by a cigarette end or sparks from his open fire.

Lynne Kaye lived above Mr Bunting's ground floor flat for around two-and-a-half years, and visited him several times a day to care for him, including preparing his meals.

She told the inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court that on the day in question she had seen him in the morning, when he had been "on good form", and then visited him again at around 3pm.

But when she entered his flat at around 5.30pm, the corridor leading to the lounge was full of smoke.

"I took his dinner in at about 3pm on the day," she said.

"He said he was going to have his dinner and try and get down for an hour's sleep.

"I came back at around 5.30pm, and I just saw an orange glow.

"Smoke was so thick I couldn't even see his bed, which was at the side of the door.

"I went outside and rang the fire brigade.

"To me the wait felt like an eternity – but it was a matter of a couple of minutes."

Mr Bunting was a heavy smoker, she added:

"He was quite a heavy smoker – he probably smoked 40 a day.

"He couldn't move a lot – he dragged his left side.

"He could do very little for himself."

Mr Bunting was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Ian Tomlin, retired station manager for Notts Fire and Rescue, who investigated the fire, said: "We determine where the fire started.

"In this fire it was in the lounge, the room that had been occupied by David.

"The area of burning was an armchair which was located to one side of the fireplace.

"The two main causes we would consider were the open fire and the cigarette end , because obviously he was a smoker."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Notts coroner Mairin Casey said: "This is a very sad case of a gentleman who had a number of medical issues that rendered him limited in terms of his mobility and the general tasks that fall to us to live an independent life."