Skip to content

Couple found dead after explosion at home, inquest hears

Nelli BirdBBC Wales
Family photo William and Marlene Mumford sit smiling in a diner-style restaurant, on a red leather seat. They both have short white hair and glasses. William is wearing a blue and white striped shirt, and Marlene is wearing a blue floral top. Family photo
Ex-miner William and and former factory worker Marlene Mumford died following an explosion at their home

An elderly couple found dead in their home following an explosion in their garden and house fire have been named.

Marlene Mumford, 84, and William Mumford, 90, died at the incident on Heol Fawr in Nelson, Caerphilly county, and had to be identified through DNA analysis.

Emergency services struggled to get into their home on 12 December 2025 because off the extent of the fire, structural issues and concerns for safety, Gwent Coroner's Court heard on Monday.

At the opening of their inquests, senior coroner Caroline Saunders said there were no suspicious circumstances and a provisional post-mortem examination gave a cause of both deaths as "exposure to combustion products of fire".

Investigators gather in the street by a house where first-floor windows have been either shattered or are missing. The yellow painted external walls have been partially blackened as if by fire damage
The inquest heard emergency services struggled to enter the Nelson home

The inquests were adjourned while investigations continue and full hearings are scheduled to take place in October.

Speaking afterwards, councillor Eifion ap Llwyd Dafydd said everyone in the community was "sad" and described the incident as "tragic".

More top stories:
More from the BBC
Trending Now