Rosslyn Wolff’s Fire Death in Myrtle Road, Harold Hill Declared an Accident
An inquest ruled the fire death of Rosslyn Wolff an accident despite concerns over her living conditions and mental health
Rosslyn Wolff, Myrtle Road, Harold Hill, Fire Death, Inquest, Mental Health, Squalor
Harold Hill: So, there was this tragic incident involving Rosslyn Wolff, a 74-year-old woman who died in a fire at her home on January 11, 2022. It’s really sad.
She had been living in pretty awful conditions for years, and authorities knew it. They had flagged her as being at risk of dying in a fire, but nothing changed.
After a two-day inquest, the coroner, Ian Wade KC, said her death was an accident that couldn’t have been prevented. It’s tough to hear, especially for her family.
Rosslyn had some unusual behavior in her later years. Her family, neighbors, and even her doctor were worried about her mental health. It was a complicated situation.
She used to think that people were trying to steal her land, which led to her being detained a couple of times because she was found wandering around confused.
Firefighters and mental health workers had raised alarms about her living conditions, which were so bad that police had to step in and take her dogs away.
Even though her family thought she might have dementia, a psychiatrist said she was just “idiosyncratic” and not mentally ill. That’s a bit of a head-scratcher.
Despite the concerns, local authorities didn’t act quickly enough. They had plans to intervene, but then Covid hit, and Rosslyn died before anything could be done.
Her son, Gary Parkin, was really upset. He sent over 40 photos of her home, which was filled with filth and cigarette butts, to the local council, but nothing changed for years.
In court, he expressed his frustration, saying he believed his mother could have been saved. He felt that the authorities should be ashamed of how they handled the situation.
But the coroner said the inquest was only about the events leading to her death. He insisted that the state of her home wasn’t the cause of the fire.
He argued that the fire would have happened regardless of her living conditions. It’s a tough pill to swallow for her family, who feel like more could have been done.
Gary respected the inquest but disagreed with the conclusion that his mother wasn’t mentally ill. He’s even considering legal action against the local council and the mental health trust.