Treforest fire: Woman crushed in industrial estate explosion

A woman died from traumatic crush injuries after being caught in an industrial estate explosion, an inquest has heard.

Danielle Evans, 40, was found in the remains of a building on the Treforest Industrial Estate in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The blast at Rizla House on the evening of December 13 caused a fire which tore through its 13 commercial units.

Mrs Evans' business, Celtic Food Laboratories, was one of the firms based there.

The company was set up by Mrs Evans, from Gorseinon in Swansea, in 2009 and specialised in the microbial testing of food,

The coroner's court in Pontypridd heard on Wednesday that a pathologist had given Mrs Evans' provisional cause of death as traumatic asphyxia.

Senior Coroner Graeme Hughes said the police investigation into the cause of the explosion was ongoing.

He said he was hoping for an update on that investigation by the end of March.

The coroner offered his condolences to Mrs Evans' family and adjourned the inquest to a date to be decided once the police provide that update.

At least one building was destroyed and a major incident declared after the "massive" blast and fire on Severn Road at about 19:00 GMT on December 13.

Rizla House was a 60,000 sq ft (5,574 sq m) building which housed 13 commercial units including a gym, a towel manufacturer and a telecoms service company.

Mrs Evans' body was found the day after the explosion after firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.

Paying tribute, her family said she was a "whirlwind of a woman", a "fiercely loyal and loving wife" and an "intelligent, caring and beautiful soul".

They added she had "poured her heart and soul" into her business, "but the most important things to her were her husband, family, dogs and friends".