Six-Year-Old Girl Dies in Leicester Vape Fire Accident, Coroner Rules

The tragic death of six-year-old Chamiah “Miah” Brindley, who was killed in a devastating house fire sparked by a rechargeable vape, has been ruled accidental by a Leicester coroner.

The fire broke out on 10 September 2024, inside the family’s home on Bedale Drive in the Mowmacre Hill area of Leicester, after a vape pen left charging beside a bed ignited flames that engulfed the attic room where Miah slept.

Despite frantic rescue attempts by her mother and relatives, the door to the attic became jammed, and the skylights—nailed shut to prevent children from climbing onto the roof—trapped the little girl inside.

Area Coroner Ivan Cartwright concluded on Tuesday that Miah’s death resulted from an accident, listing her cause of death as “inhalation of products of combustion.”

Firefighters arrived minutes after the emergency call, but Miah was pronounced dead less than 20 minutes after the blaze began.

Her devastated mother, Tracey Moore, said her daughter would be “sorely missed every day.”

Detective Constable Katie Smith, speaking on behalf of the family, described Miah as “happy, bubbly, and boisterous,” adding:

“She loved nothing more than playing outside with her brother on her bike or kicking a ball. She was a tomboy with a girly edge — warm, sociable, and loved by everyone.”

The inquest heard that 10 children and three adults were in the house that night. Investigators later found eight vapes in Miah’s room, one of which was identified as the likely ignition source, though the exact cause remains undetermined.

Authorities also revealed that smoke alarms had been removed months before the fire, and a 14-year-old girl initially arrested in connection with the incident will face no further action.

Miah’s death has renewed safety warnings over charging lithium-ion devices such as vapes and e-cigarettes near flammable materials or while unattended.