Clare Dupree died of smoke inhalation following a fire in her cell at HMP Eastwood Park in December 2022, according to multiple reports. The fire was started with a vape. Cell 59 did not have automatic in-cell fire detection (AFD). HMP Eastwood Park is one of more than 40 prisons in Britain without AFD in all cells.
More than three years after the fire, automatic detectors have still not been installed in Clare Dupree's cell. The Ministry of Justice has admitted 21,067 prison places are missing automatic fire detection. Ministers had promised to make all cells fire-safe by 2027 or take them out of use. Labour has reneged on the pledge, blaming the overcrowding crisis. No new date has been set for the prison service to bring all cells up to legal standards.
I'm on fire, help
Cell fires have soared by 124% over the last five years. In the year ending March 2025, there were an average of eight cell fires each day in prisons in England and Wales. Most cell fires are caused by vapes. At least ten other prisoners have died in cell fires since the government first accepted that upgrades were needed almost 20 years ago, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform. The Howard League for Penal Reform has threatened legal action over the failures.