A DAD killed in a mystery house fire explosion had claimed he was sent a firebomb threat four years ago.
Carl Whalley, 57, died in the horrifying blast at his semi-detached home in Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire on Friday afternoon.
A post-mortem yesterday gave his cause of death as smoke inhalation and burns after dad-of-two Mr Whalley was found dead inside the home on Kirby Avenue.
On Monday, Lancashire Police said they were investigating claims of a “neighbour dispute” to see if it has any connection with the blast which collapsed Mr Whalley’s house.
Last night, the force said it had been referred to police watchdog the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) "due to the fact officers had contact with the occupant prior to the incident”.
Mr Whalley claimed he told police about the firebomb threat in 2017 and it was arranged for fire safety equipment to be fitted in his home.
'FIREBOMB THREAT'
In October, 2017, following the firebomb threat, Lancashire Police wrote to Mr Whalley’s MP, Lindsay Hoyle.
In the letter, seen by Sun Online, Superintendent Mark Winstaley said: “With respect to the threats to firebomb Mr Whalley’s house, this matter was investigated.
“However, there was insufficient evidence of intent to support a prosecution.
“Police and Lancashire Fire Service ensured that action was taken to reassure Mr Whalley and his family as opposed to any belief there was a credible threat that the property would be attacked in such a manner.”
IOPC INVESTIGATION
An investigation into the cause of the blaze that killed Mr Whalley is continuing as the IOPC probe was launched.
Mr Whalley’s "devastated" family paid tribute to him on a JustGiving page, saying they had "lost everything".
Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston, of Lancashire Police, said: “We continue to work through the evidence we have to try and establish the cause of the fire and our enquiries include looking through CCTV footage and other digital media and speaking to witnesses.
"For those reasons it may take some time before we are able to give a definitive cause for the fire.
“I would once again appeal to anyone who has any information and has not yet spoken to police to come forward and I would ask for anyone with any CCTV, Ring doorbell footage or dashcam footage to get in touch.
“We continue to investigate suggestions of a neighbour dispute and looking into these forms part of our enquiries".
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