Death of 'jolly' man who died in garage fire ruled accidental

Waqas Qureshi, 35, died in the blaze at Smart Autos in Lower Hollins Bank, Blackburn on Saturday, April 24, 2021, however after receiving “conflicting information” about whether a person had been in the building, his body was not found until Wednesday – four days later.

Waqas’s brother Umair Quereshi travelled from Pakistan to attend the inquest along with another family member, who travelled from the south of England.

In a tribute to his brother, Umair said: “He was a very jolly person. He was very close to the family, especially with the children.

READ MORE: Man who died in Blackburn car garage fire was not found for 4 days

“He was the one who would remember birthdays and would always wish everyone a happy birthday and remind other family members to do the same.

“He wasn’t just close to his immediate family but to his extended family also.

“He is missed greatly by everyone.”

Concluding an inquest that started at Preston Coroners Court on April 6, Coroner Richard Taylor said Waqas’s death was accidental.

Smoke was billowing out of the car garage. Photo credit: LT

He said: “Waqas was somebody people warmed to, that they liked, that they got on with.

“He was clearly someone who had fun in his life.

“It is most likely Waqas was upstairs at the time and was overcome by the fumes very quickly.

“I find that the fire services response was quick and proper.

“Due to the severity and the heat, if inside that premises, it would be unsurvivable very quickly.

“If it was believed that Waqas was in the building, that nobody would say anything is incomprehensible.

“It is also unfortunate the fire service received mixed messages but there is no evidence that contributed to Waqas’s death.”

On the day of the blaze, Waqas had been seen by motor mechanic Muhammad Arshad Azad at some point between 1pm and 3pm.

Waqas Qureshi died from smoke inhalation during a car garage fire

Despite this sighting and having not seen Waqas leave the premises, when Mr Azar entered the building at closing time and spotted the blaze, he told crews he was the only person in the building.

Mr Azar said Waqas would regularly come and go and he believed he was no longer there when the fire broke out.

After the blaze broke out in the garage at about 6.40pm, Mr Azar called Javed Akther, who owned Sparkles garage next door, to tell him about the fire and get him to call 999.

Crews arrived within four minutes and the fire was already “very well-established”, with it being too dangerous for crews to enter the building until they had gotten the blaze under control.

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The damage to the garage after the blaze. Photo credit: Submitted

The following morning, Mr Azar received a call from the garage manager Syed Shazad Haider, who was travelling to Pakistan at the time of the blaze, at around 6am to check he was okay and inform him that Waqas had not been active on WhatsApp since shortly after the fire broke out.

Mr Haider said he told Mr Azar to tell the fire service they couldn’t contact Waqas, however two watch managers who spoke with him said he “repeatedly” told them that he had been the only person there and that nobody else was in the building.

A number of days later after the fire service received reports a person may be inside, sniffer dogs were sent in, and a body was found.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said their thoughts are with Waqas Qureshi’s family and friends following the inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court.

Area Manager Neil Taylor, from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We offer our condolences to the family of Mr Qureshi.

“The firefighters that attended the tragic incident on April 24, 2021, in Lower Hollin Street, Blackburn, arrived within four minutes of receiving the call.

"They were faced with a well-established fire that took several hours to bring under control. 

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“Our firefighters dealing with the incident on the Saturday night were not made aware that Mr Qureshi was inside the building.

"Due to the rapid development of the fire and smoke, even if we were told that Mr Qureshi was inside the building, we would not have been able to save him.

“In the days following the fire there were opportunities missed which could have resulted in Mr Qureshi being found sooner. We accept that we should have done better, however, this would not have altered the tragic outcome.

"Since this incident, we have reviewed the processes in places and made amendments to ensure this will not happen again.”