It was later in the morning, around 11am on Saturday 23rd September 1898, when some of the residents became alarmed at the very strong smell of smoke. It became apparent to them very quickly that the smoke was coming from the home of 82-year-old Mary Groat. Mary had lived in the property with her younger sister Elizabeth, but she had died 2 months ago at the age of 80, leaving Mary alone.
No sound was coming from the house, but everyone knew that Mary would be inside, so attempts were made to enter her house. After trying the door unsuccessfully, neighbours broke in through a window and found Mary lying unconscious on the floor, seriously burned about her body, her nightdress burned, blackened and seared to her body. A candle and candle holder lay discarded on the floor and Mary’s bedsheets looked as though they had been partially pulled from the bed.
Despite a doctor attending to her, Mary died of her wounds before she could even be transported to a hospital. Based on the scene, it seemed as though Mary had risen from her bed and lit the candle but had somehow become entangled in the bedsheets. As she walked away from the bed, she must have tripped over them, causing her to fall to the floor, perhaps knocking her head, but most certainly upsetting the candle, which then set fire to her nightdress.
It was assumed a case of an all too common tragic household accident.