Edgeware: Calls for changes after tumble dryer fire deaths

Relatives of two disabled Londoners who died in a fire caused by an electrical fault in a condenser tumble dryer are calling for safety changes.

An inquest at North London Coroner’s Court in November found that Champagori and Deepak Bhatt died of smoke inhalation in a fire at their home in Edgware, north London, in 2023.

The North London Coroner, Dr Peter Stricker, concluded that the fire was caused by a condensate pump terminal failure in his Whirlpool Hot Point dryer.

Pawan Bhatt, 29, said he wanted “changes to be made to prevent another family from going through the same tragedy”. Beko Europe said it “expresses our deepest sympathies to the Bhatt family”.

Both Champaguri Bhatt, 86, who was registered blind and used a wheelchair, and Deepak Bhatt, 66, who was mentally impaired and unable to speak after suffering a stroke, were believed to have been involved in the fire. They were sleeping.

Pawan, Champaguri’s grandson and Deepak’s nephew, lived with them but was at work at the time of the fire.

After being rescued by emergency services and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, Champagori died on 31 March 2023 and Deepak died on 18 April 2023.

The dryer was less than seven months old, and the model is not currently subject to a corrective action or recall.

After the inquest the coroner published a Report on the prevention of future deaths A call for action to reduce the risk of future deaths from white goods such as tumble dryer fires.

In his report the coroner emphasized his concern that moisture in condensate pumps could cause fires, and called for improvements in the reporting and analysis of such fires.

Manufacturing standards should also be reviewed, the report said.

The coroner also called for better communication between manufacturers and fire safety organizations such as the Office of Product Safety Standards regulator and the London Fire Brigade.

His report was sent to a number of organisations, including Hotpoint UK, the Office of Product Safety Standards, the British Standards Institute and the National Fire Chiefs Council.

Pawan, who was represented at the inquest by law firm Leigh Day, said he hoped the coroner’s concerns would “lead to action by the manufacturer and regulatory bodies”.

“Since the night of the fire, I have been dealing with the pain and grief of losing my much-loved grandmother and uncle in these horrific circumstances,” he said.

“I now call on all concerned to act on the recommendations made in the coroner’s report, so that we can prevent another family from going through a similar tragedy.”

LeDay said the dryer was less than seven months old, and the model is not currently subject to a corrective action or recall.

Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis said: “The family will now await a response from Hotpoint as to whether they are going to do a full voluntary recall of the machines with these components.”

A spokesman for Beco Europe, which is responsible for the Hotpoint brand, said: “Most importantly, we extend our deepest sympathies to the Bhatt family and everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Our investigation so far has revealed that this is an isolated incident and customers who have purchased the same model should not panic.

“There have been no other incidents of this nature with this model and all of our products meet and exceed relevant regulatory and legal standards for safety.”