Boy killed by fire as he cleaned motorcycle in shed

Jack Sheldon’s badly burnt body was found in a shed at his home on Byron Avenue, Campsall, South Yorkshire, by firefighters who were unaware that anyone was inside.

Coroner Nicola Mundy said she had concerns about fire service systems after a four-minute delay was caused by sending the wrong fire engine to the scene.

Ms Mundy told Doncaster Coroner’s Court that neighbours became aware of the fire on October 27 when they saw “a large volume of dense and dark billowing smoke”.

The inquest heard evidence from a number of people who made “valiant efforts” to put out the fire with bowls of water, fire extinguishers and hosepipes.

But Ms Mundy said: “I do believe that, at this time, this was a fully developed fire and, sadly, it’s likely that Jack had already passed away at this time due to the intensity of the fire.

“It had been thought Jack was not in the shed but it quickly became apparent Jack had been in the shed throughout.”