London Fire Brigade issues warning on dangers of flammable skin creams

Emollient creams are used to treat dry and itchy skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis and are commonly employed to reduce bed sores related to limited movement. Many contain flammable ingredients such as paraffin, petroleum or natural oils.

The Brigade’s call for improved awareness of the dangers around such creams has support from a family who tragically lost their much-loved 69-year-old grandfather, Cedric Skyers, in a fire at his Care Home back in 2016.

Cedric’s son, David Skyers, wants to make sure all carers supervise people with mobility issues, notably so if they’re a smoker. Sadly, David’s father, who was wheelchair-bound following a stroke, was left smoking unsupervised at his Care Home despite tell-tale warning signs of burn marks on his clothes. He accidentally dropped his cigarette and became engulfed in flames. He tragically died from his injuries three days after celebrating his birthday.

An investigation into Cedric’s death found that, although a smoking risk assessment had been undertaken, it didn’t consider the use of emollient creams, which can build up on skin, clothing or bedding and render those items more susceptible to catching fire.

Horrific incident

David Skyers commented: “Skin creams like emollients are flammable and smokers have to be very careful. My Dad had few remaining pleasures in life following his stroke. He enjoyed writing poetry and smoking a cigarette. When he smoked, he had to be supervised in case of an accident. He wasn’t mobile and needed help to move around in his wheelchair.”

Skyers added: “If he had passed away naturally, as upsetting as that would be, you can understand it. This is just not meant to happen.”

Further, Skyers noted: “To lose Dad in such an horrific incident has been devastating for all of us. We really want to make sure this doesn’t happen again and that nobody else loses a much-loved father, grandfather and friend in such an awful way. If we could take one small positive from this tragedy, it would be the lesson that this tragic event lends to others in the future. No family should have to experience our heartache.”

In relation to Cedric’s death, the London Fire Brigade brought a prosecution against BUPA under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 after the fire, which occurred in Brockley in March 2016.

BUPA pleaded guilty to not meeting its statutory obligations in relation to fire safety measures.

Harrowing case

The London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner Craig Carter said: “This is a harrowing case where failure to comply with fire safety regulations had fatal consequences. Cedric was vulnerable and his death could have been avoided. Every Care Home resident should have a plan in place which accounts for their mobility, their use of cigarettes, flammable skin creams and oxygen equipment.”

Carter went on to state: “Care Home staff can help to keep residents safe by encouraging them not to smoke, especially if they could drop their cigarette, become disoriented or tend to fall asleep while smoking. We’re urging Care Home providers and carers to seek support and use the resources on our website at www.london-fire.gov.uk to ensure they’ve taken the necessary precautions to keep their residents safe.”

The Brigade has also written to the Care Quality Commission requesting urgent action as fires in Care Homes and supported living facilities reached a three-year high in December 2024 following an increase from 11 to 41 compared to the previous month. Smoking and cooking were the leading causes of these fires.