A MAN whose body was found in a burnt out caravan died of natural causes, an inquest has concluded.
David Clyens, 61, was discovered by fire crews after they tackled a ferocious blaze that tore through the caravan at Clyens and Son monumental masons, in Crowle Street, east Hull, on December 4.
The inquest in Hull heard how Mr Clyens collapsed and fell on a halogen heater, which set his clothes alight.
Despite the severely burnt body, pathologist Dr Latifu Sanni believes he was already dead before the fire took hold.
He said: "I think he died before the fire started or very shortly afterwards. There was no soot in his airways, which suggested he had already stopped breathing when he collapsed."
Dr Sanni said Mr Clyens collapsed due to a heart problem, coupled with a large amount of alcohol in his system.
A urine sample showed his system had 382mg of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for driving is 80mg.
Dr Sanni told the inquest the combination of the heart problem and the alcohol level caused his death rather than the fire itself.
Steve Henry, fire investigator for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said there was severe fire damage throughout the caravan, with the bathroom area completely destroyed.
He looked at whether the blaze was started deliberately by a third party, through an electrical fault or by a discarded cigarette.
But, after a six-week investigation, he concluded the heating appliance inside the caravan was the cause.
He said: "We believe Mr Clyens collapsed onto the halogen heater and his clothing ignited.
"We found his arm directly laid on the tubes of the heater."
Mr Clyens was married with four children but he and his wife divorced in 2007 and he moved into the caravan.
As a child he went to Longhill Primary School and then Trinity House.
He joined the Merchant Navy and rose to captain. He left the Navy in 1982 and set up the stonemason business with his father.
In a statement read out at the inquest, his daughter Natasha Kemish paid tribute to her dad.
She said: "He was stuck in his ways and I loved him for it. I love him and miss him.
"He was a brilliant grandad to my two sons and daughter.
"He always wore scruffy clothes and was a real character.
"My dad liked to read a lot and loved to walk around Hull Marina looking at all the boats.
"He was a workaholic and worked long hours. Dad was proud of his business and worked hard to make it a success.
"He loved rugby and was a Hull KR fan. One of my earliest memories was him taking me to Craven Park."
Firefighters were called to Crowle Street at about 9am but, even by the time they arrived just four minutes after the emergency 999 call, the caravan had been engulfed by an inferno.
They brought the fire under control quickly and put out the flames. Mr Clyens was confirmed dead at the scene.
Assistant coroner Rosemary Baxter accepted Dr Sanni's evidence that Mr Clyens was probably dead before the fire took hold and concluded he died of natural causes.
