A FIRE which killed a woman pensioner at her home in Didcot may have been started by a lit cigarette left unattended, according to a neighbour.

Emergency services were called to a bungalow in Ernest Road, off Broadway on December 9 after they were alerted to the blaze.

Iris Botting, 79, a retired secretary who was divorced, is thought to have lived on her own with the help of carers.

An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned until May 3 at Oxford Coroner’s Court yesterday but the cause of death was not revealed.

Thames Valley Police spokesman Lucy Billen said: “Officers were called shortly before 9am on December 9 to a report that a fire had taken place as there were signs of fire damage at a property in Ernest Road.

“Officers attended and sadly located the body of a woman aged in her seventies who had died.

“The death was treated as unexplained but is not believed to be suspicious and a file was prepared for the coroner.”

Oxfordshire Fire Service has not yet commented on the incident.

Staff at the nearby Marlborough Club said they were saddened to hear of the woman’s death.

Neighbour David Hawkins, 46, a builder, said: “It was a shock when all the fire engines turned up and it’s very sad that the woman died.

“The following day we got a leaflet through the door from the fire service warning about the dangers of leaving cigarettes unattended so it’s possible that is what caused it.”

Retired financial manager Duncan Talbot, 62, who also lives in Ernest Road, said: “I think the lady lived on her own and she had mobility problems.”