MYSTERY surrounds the death of a recently retired mortgage advisor from Halesowen.

Daniel Houten was found collapsed in the hallway of his Whitefriars Drive home by his partner on February 9.

The 65-year-old appeared to have come into contact with the gas fire in the living room, senior coroner Zafar Siddique said.

He told Wednesday’s inquest, sitting at Black Country Coroner’s Court in Oldbury, that some of Mr Houten’s clothes were burnt and other discarded fire damaged items of clothing had been found in the living room, hallway and kitchen.

Mr Siddique said there was evidence that Mr Houten had attempted to douse the flames in the kitchen sink.

A post-mortem revealed that Mr Houten had suffered "extensive burns", covering 80 per cent of his body.

“It’s not clear what happened,” Mr Siddique said as he recorded Mr Houten’s death had been accidental, adding: “It is possible he had collapsed next to the fire or blacked out.”