A HOUSE fire in which a 90-year-old man died was caused by an electrical fault in the wall, an inquest has heard.

Raymond Ward, a retired mechanic, was alone in the house in Fitzjohn Close, Malton, on January 21 when a socket started to smoulder, filling the house with smoke before bursting into flames early the next morning.

In a statement to the inquest, his widow Joyce Ward said: "At the time of Raymond's death I was actually in in Malton hospital, recovering from surgery.

"Raymond came to see me in hospital. He was happy and just wanted me to be better and come home."

Fire investigator Alan Bell told the inquest that he investigated the fire along with a colleague. He said: "We calculated that the area of origin was the dividing wall between the two bedrooms. The fire started on the spare bedroom side."

He said that after discounting various appliances, including a burned out vacuum cleaner, the only viable source of the fire was the wiring in the wall itself.

Coroner Michael Oakley recorded a conclusion of accidental death.