A HOUSE fire which killed a father and son was almost certainly caused by a cigarette, an inquest has heard.

In the early hours of January 23 a blaze ripped through the first floor of a house in Grangehill Road, Eltham.

Asleep in the house at the time were 72-year-old Janet Johnson, her husband of 50 years, George Johnson and their son Maxime Johnson, aged 39.

Coroner Dr Peter Straker read a statement from Mrs Johnson during the inquest at Southwark Coroner’s Court on August 11.

It said: “The three of us went to bed shortly after 11.30pm. Max went into his bedroom and that was the last George and I saw of him until I heard him shouting ‘oh my God, oh my God, get up mum it’s a fire’, at around 4am.”

The court heard there was a computer room next to Maxime’s bedroom where he would watch TV and smoke into the early hours of the morning.

Fire officers confirmed the fire had started in this room.

The mother of two described getting out of bed and seeing Maxime sweating profusely and covered in soot.

She told him to help his father while she went to call emergency services. A neighbour stopped her from going back upstairs.

Maxime was the first to be brought out of the burning house and had to be resuscitated in the front garden, before being taken to Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich, where he died on January 25.

When George, 73, was brought out of the house paramedics were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ruling out foul play and the possibility of a faulty electrical appliance causing the fire, fire investigator Gary Dyer said: “We found a number of lighters in the room. Although it is not positive, we are 95 per cent sure that a cigarette caused the fire."

Recording a verdict of accidental death Dr Straker said: “This has been a short inquest and the evidence has been clear and uncontentious.”

The cause of death for former stevedore George Johnson was recorded as inhalation of fire fumes.

Civil servant Maxime Johnson’s cause of death was recorded as hypoxic brain injury caused by inhalation of fire fumes.