Elderly British couple died after a heater sparked fire inside their campervan as they slept in French beauty spot, inquest hears

An elderly couple died after their campervan burst into flames while they slept on a French campsite, an inquest has heard.

David and Pamela Brack, both 81, were killed by the blaze sparked by a heater. French media reported that their son, who was parked nearby, tried to rescue the couple as the fire took hold. 

An investigation launched following their deaths identified the cause of the fire as the van's heater. 

Antoine Pesme, Public Prosecutor of the Digne-les-Bains region, told French newspaper La Provence: ‘The causes have been identified by firefighters and investigators. The van's heater caught fire. This fire is therefore purely accidental.'

The couple, from Chester-le-Street in County Durham, were staying at the Huttopia Gorges du Verdon campsite in Castellane, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, near the French border with Italy.

A post-mortem examination was carried out by Dr Sam Hoggard at Newcastle RVI mortuary and gave the provisional cause of death as the effects of fire.

David, who worked as an electrical engineer and Pamela, who worked as a hairdresser before they both retired, were identified by dental records.

An inquest was opened at Miners Hall in Durham on Monday.

Coroner's officer Emily Bourne told the short hearing: ‘I understand the circumstances to be that Mrs Pamela Brack was on holiday in France with her husband Mr David Brack, when a fire broke out in their campervan in the early hours of September 5.’ 

The inquest was adjourned by the senior coroner for Durham and Darlington, Jeremy Chipperfield, until July 20, 2027.

The Foreign Office offered its condolences to the family.

A spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are in contact with the local authorities.’