Cornet player Maurice Fletcher killed himself hours after causing massive gas blast Maurice Fletcher, 57, was depressed after splitting from girlfriend Pauline He told friends he was considering killing himself to 'take revenge' on her Accidentally caused a huge gas explosion in his block of flats A day later he killed himself, an inquest heard A keen musician who said he wanted to kill himself to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend accidentally caused an explosion in his flat then drove to a field and committed suicide, an inquest has heard. Maurice Fletcher repeatedly told friends he was considering suicide after he became depressed over a break-up, and was later found dead in his car. In July last year, he inadvertently knocked over a flammable substance in his flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, then left the premises. The accident caused a spark, triggering a huge gas explosion which ripped through his home and three neighbouring flats and left two men with burn injuries. Depressed: Musician Maurice Fletcher killed himself after breaking up with his girlfriend, an inquest heard Blast: A day before his death, Mr Fletcher had accidentally caused a gas explosion in his flat in Rochdale Mr Fletcher, 57, was initially feared to be trapped in the wreckage, but was soon found to be unharmed away from the scene. However, he was found dead less than 24 hours later when a farmer checking his horses discovered him in his Ford Ka in a remote field. An autopsy found that he had died from carbon monoxide poisoning as it emerged that he had left a suicide note as well as a message admitting that he was responsible for the explosion. An inquest in Heywood was told that Mr Fletcher, who worked for the Inland Revenue and played cornet in the Stalybridge Brass Band, had been pining for his ex-girlfriend Pauline. Friend: Phil Cornell said that Mr Fletcher had often threatened to commit suicide Close friend Phil Cornell said the lovesick man had suffered bouts of depression, including one so serious he had to be hospitalised. Mr Fletcher also threatened to commit suicide in order to 'take revenge' on his ex and 'have the last laugh' over her, his friend said. 'A previous boyfriend of Pauline's came back on the scene and she wanted to move on in her life but he didn't want to let go,' Mr Cornell told the hearing. He was hanging onto that relationship and it was becoming an obsession which got greater and greater, to the point where in my mind he was stalking her. In the last few weeks of that relationship the police were involved and asked him to stay clear. He would talk repeatedly about ending his life once he was on a downward spiral with Pauline. He would talk of not having anything to live for, he was not getting up in the morning and not wanting to be in crowded places. I came to the conclusion that one day he would, my feeling was that he would do something. I was constantly trying to encourage him to go back to the doctors - but I couldn't persuade him.' Mr Cornell said he last saw Mr Fletcher alive on July 29 - the day before the explosion. 'I met him in the pub and when I saw him I could tell he was upset,' he said. I just sat and listened. He was going over the same thing. Night after night he would tell me the history of his relationships. When I left he was very upset. After he heard about the explosion the next day, he texted Mr Fletcher asking why he had not heard from him, but on July 31 police called him and told him his friend had died. Destruction: The blast destroyed half the house and left two men suffering from burn injuries Collapse: Less than 24 hours after the accident, Mr Fletcher was found dead in a field by a farmer Mr Fletcher's GP confirmed that he had ongoing depression and anxiety and had been referred to the mental health services on numerous occasions. In a statement, Mr Fletcher's mother Pauline said her son had been an 'outgoing person' and 'very sociable'. She said he enjoyed music and playing the cornet and going on holidays. She said she last spoke to her son the day before his death and he had appeared 'calm'. He ended the call telling her that he loved her and she had no concerns for his welfare. She added that she never knew him to threaten self-harm. Scene: Police cordoned off an area of housing close to where Mr Fletcher was found dead in July last year Recording a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner Lisa Hasmi said: 'It was clear that he was suffering and was particularly troubled by the mental health issues but also the nature and extent of relationships - a number of them came to an end, more recently Pauline. He was clearly very anxious leading up to his death. Following the gas explosion at Mr Fletcher's flat, one man suffered burns to his upper arms and shoulder and another was treated for a broken arm, burns to his body and smoke inhalation. Investigators said that the casualties were lucky to be alive after half of the building collapsed as well as its roof.