A heroic mother-of-two died while saving her children from an inferno at a glamping caravan park which had a faulty fire alarm, an inquest heard.
'Utterly devoted' Ruth Pingree, 42, helped her children escape before succumbing to the fumes on the family holiday.
Her son had alerted the family to the flames after the fire alarm in the property failed to sound at about 4am.
The door to the aluminium caravan was warped by the fire and stuck shut, so Ruth's husband forced open a kitchen window which he and their children escaped from.
Mrs Pingree made sure her children escaped but as they did the caravan became 'engulfed' and she perished in the fire.
Area Coroner for Suffolk, Darren Stewart, has now issued a warning about the 'ad hoc' nature of fire safety enforcement for businesses like the Happy Days Retro Vacation caravan site - which has since shut.
An inquest into Mrs Pingree's death heard the family travelled from their home in Surrey to Suffolk in July 2022.
They were on holiday with their friends, around six other families, at the caravan site in Saxmundham, Suffolk, from July 22.
Ruth Pingree, 42, helped her children escape before succumbing to the fumes on the family holiday. Pictured is an example of the caravan at the site she was at that she became stuck in
Mrs Pingree made sure her children escaped but as they did the caravan became 'engulfed' and she perished in the fire. Pictured are police at the scene of the fatal fire
The site was made up of seven caravans which had aluminium exteriors.
There was no safety briefing for the family on their arrival at the campsite, or in the orientation video that Mrs Pingree's husband, referred to only as Mr Pingree in Mr Stewart's Prevention of Future Deaths Report, watched.
The caravan the family stayed in, nicknamed 'Betsy', had a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in the kitchen area, as well as a fire blanket and a small fire extinguisher.
On July 23, they socialised with friends around a fire pit in the evening, with some of the adults smoking cigarettes.
The owner of the caravan site did a security check an hour after the last person left the fire pit, at about half past 12 in the morning of July 24.
The inquest heard there were 'a few glowing embers' in the pit at this time, and the weather had been 'exceptionally dry' and windy, with hotter than average temperatures for the time of year.
Mr Stewart said that some time between this inspection and 4.30am, a fire started outside the end of the caravan with a bathroom.
The coroner continued: 'The fire developed over a period of time engaging the external structure of the caravan.
The Happy Days Retro Vacation caravan site (pictured), where the tragedy took place, has since has since shut
'The effect of this development meant that the external aluminium cladding of the caravan heated causing the door frame of the sole caravan door to become warped and made the door inoperable; in effect jammed shut.
'At some time between 4am and 4.30am Mr Pingree was woken by his son who alerted him to the fact that there was a fire.
'At this point there was smoke in the caravan and the fire had started to engage the inside of the bathroom end where the children had been sleeping.
'The smoke detector fitted in the caravan had not activated and did not sound during the fire.
'Mr Pingree sought to open the caravan door which had been left unlocked, but was unable to due to the effect of the fire on the door mechanism.
'A friend who had been staying in the adjacent caravan and who had become aware of the fire also tried to open the door to "Betsy" unsuccessfully.
'Turning to the right and away from the door and facing his family who were in the kitchen area of the caravan, Mr Pingree realised that quick action was required in order to escape the caravan.
'The fire was fully engaging the bathroom end of the caravan at this point and the entire space had quickly become full of acrid dark smoke.
'Mr Pingree then used his body to force open the window above the sink in the kitchen area and climbed outside.
Pictured is a police officer outside the scene of the holiday park where the fatal fire happened
'He was followed by his two children.Mrs Pingree had remained to assist the children in their escape.
'Her actions in doing so meant that the children were able to escape the burning caravan.
'Sadly Mrs Pingree was not able to escape the caravan and shortly after the second child escaped, the caravan became engulfed in fire and smoke.
'Desperate efforts to extinguish the fire by those present were unsuccessful and it was not until the Fire Service arrived at 4.45amthat the fire was finally extinguished.
'By this point Mrs Pingree had sadly perished in the fire.'
The coroner said it was 'not possible to say whether this was started from an ember blowing out of the fire pit or from a discarded match or cigarette butt', and it was not started by an electrical fault or on purpose.
Mr Stewart found if the fire alarm had worked, it 'likely' would have sounded before the Pingree's child raised the alarm.
He could not say whether this would have meant Mrs Pingree would have escaped before being overcome by the fumes.
A post-mortem examination found Mrs Pingree died as a result of inhaling fire fumes.
Mr Stewart expressed concern that fire safety regulations followed by businesses like Happy Days Retro Vacations do not require written records regarding fire safety to be kept, or maintenance inspections to be carried out at specific intervals.
The businesses also do not need to 'provide any signage or safety notices in caravans indicating escape routes or actions in case of emergency', or a timescale for how often risk assessments should be carried out.
There is no guidance for these assessments.
The coroner said: 'The potential for short cuts and misunderstandings are substantial.
'This is within a framework of assurance and enforcement that would appear to be ad hoc.'
He noted 'a lack of clear standards' when it came to fire safety for businesses like Happy Days Retro Vacations, and said that 'action should be taken to prevent future deaths'.
The coroner said: 'Ruth Ann Pingree was described by her family as an amazing person.
'Someone who had a quality about them that drew you to her with her smile, her laugh, her heart, her vulnerability and her brilliant mind.
'She was a person who would make you feel loved and valued and appreciated.
'A one in a million. A person who was always there for her family and friends and utterly devoted to her children.'
The caravan park where Mrs Pingree died has since permanently closed.
The coroner's report has been sent to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Home Office.
These authorities must respond by June 2.
