A dog lover was burnt to death while she was preparing food for her pets.

This was revealed at the inquest into the death of Chakrawarthige Missinona (72), a resident of Radawana conducted by City Coroner Edward Ahangama recently.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Gamage Shirani Gunasekera said that on the day of the incident while she was talking to her mother, she saw her mother cook using the hearth. "I went to my room and on my way back, I observed my mother attempting to tear off her clothes which were on fire".

Witness said she had asked her sister-in-law to bring a knife and cut her mother’s clothes. Water was also poured on her to douse the flames. Later, her mother had said that while cooking meals for her dogs, a burning coconut shell rolled from the hearth on to her clothes, causing her clothes to catch fire.

She had sustained burns below her waist.