Kate Lane 'stable' after farmhouse blaze left her unconscious 
by Carl Yapp
Western Mail; Cardiff; Jul 29, 2002 

THE ex-wife of the late rock legend and Small Faces guitarist Ronnie Lane has been injured as fire destroyed her farmhouse.

Mrs Kate Lane was discovered unconscious on the road outside her home at Mellington, near Church Stoke, Powys. She was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital suffering from burns to her hands and smoke inhalation.

The blaze ripped through her home on Thursday at about 4am. Mrs Lane, recovering from her ordeal, was yesterday "stable" in hospital in Shrewsbury, medical experts said.

Emergency services refused to name Mrs Lane, but neighbours have confirmed she lives at the address.

Mrs Lane was believed to have been alerted to the fire by one of her dogs barking, a neighbour said.

A neighbour and friend of Mrs Lane, who returned from holiday later in the day, said the blaze was a tragedy and hoped that Mrs Lane would be all right.

"She was found unconscious in the ditch outside," she added.

The house has been left structurally unsound and Powys County Council has closed off the narrow lane leading to the property. Crews from Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade's stations at Montgomery and Newtown were assisted by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service engines.

Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Rock legend Ronnie Lane was a founder member of the Small Faces who lived with his wife on the Powys/Shropshire border in the 1970s and 1980s. He died in 1997.