THE grandparents of a boy killed in a house fire were assured that he did not suffer when an inquest opened yesterday.

Carl Taylor, 7, died last week when fire gutted his bedroom in Wood Vue, Spennymoor, County Durham, where he lived with grandparents John and Christine Taylor.

Carl, who had just celebrated his birthday, and four-year-old half-brother Stephen were believed to be sleeping when the fire broke out last Monday night.

Stephen is still fighting for his life in Newcastle General Hospital.

Yesterday, Mrs Taylor wept as she told Darlington and South Durham coroner Colin Penna that the boys had gone to bed before she joined her husband at Spennymoor Workingmen's Club to celebrate their silver wedding.

She said her son Shaun, 11, had sat with the youngsters until they fell asleep.

Consultant pathologist Anthony Senadhira, who carried out a post-mortem examination on Carl, told the inquest that the youngster died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mrs Taylor, who attended Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court with her husband, asked Mr Senadhira whether Carl had suffered.

He said: "He was very quickly unconscious. He passed away very quickly. Most of the burns were after death."