The family of the victims of the Llangammarch Wells fire have paid tribute to the work of the emergency services after the conclusion of an inquest into the tragedy was held in Welshpool today (Monday, October 22).

Coroner Andrew Barkley recorded a narrative verdict in the case, saying that identifying a single cause of the incident was not possible.

A statement from the family issued shortly after the verdict said: "We as a family would like to once again thank all the emergency services for the hard work and dedication throughout the past year and we thank the public for their continued support.

"We request that we are left alone now to come to terms with the tragedy."

Chief Superintendent Tony Brown, who led the victim identification and recovery operation, said his officers were faced with "extremely challenging conditions" at the scene of the incident.

"Our deepest sympathies are with the family and all those affected by this truly tragic and harrowing incident," he said.

"Police officers and the fire service were faced with extremely challenging conditions at the scene in the days and weeks following the incident. The nature of the fire was so intense, the scene presented significant difficulties in respect of the recovery of remains and took considerable time. But the family were our absolute priority from the very beginning, and the dignified and respectful recovery of all the deceased within the property was always the focus of our endeavours. This is why we worked tirelessly at the scene which was complex and perilous.

"Despite the heart-breaking outcome of the incident, the effective method that all agencies worked together, during the response to the fire and in its aftermath, is a testament to the hard work and dedication of each agency’s staff and volunteers – and I thank them all sincerely.

"I hope that the inquest has provided some answers and an element of peace to the family, and my thoughts and prayers are very much with them."

During the inquest, police confirmed that their investigation into the incident was ongoing, saying that they are keeping an "open mind" about the incident.

"We’ve been very mindful of the fact there could’ve been foul play during our investigation, Detective Inspector Adam Ellis told the hearing.

"We’ve been presented with no evidence to show there’s been involvement of a third party."