Inquest finds deaths of two disabled Londoners in a house fire was caused by electrical fault in Whirlpool Hotpoint tumble dryer

The fatal fire broke out at around 6pm on 29 March 2023 at the house in Edgware, where Champagauri and Dipak Bhatt lived with their grandson and nephew Pavan Bhatt. 

At a conclusion hearing on Friday 15 November, Coroner for North London, Dr Peter Straker determined that Champagauri and Dipak died as a result of smoke inhalation from the fire which started in the family’s Whirlpool Hotpoint condenser tumble dryer. The dryer had been purchased less than seven months previously and the specific model is not currently subject to any corrective action or recall notice.

86-year-old Champagauri was severely disabled, registered blind and used a wheelchair. 66-year-old Dipak was brain damaged and unable to speak due to a serious stroke that he suffered some years before. Pavan, a 30-year-old computer scientist who was the carer for his grandmother and uncle, was at work at the time of the fire.

Champagauri and Dipak were thought to have been asleep when the fire started. They subsequently woke up but could not escape from the house and were exposed to high levels of smoke and heat. They were rescued by the emergency services and taken to St Mary’s Hospital where Champagauri died on 31 March 2023 and Dipak died on 18 April 2023.

The inquest at Barnet Coroner’s Court, heard evidence over three days from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 November. This included evidence from three forensic fire experts, commissioned by appliance manufacturer Whirlpool, which makes the Hotpoint and Indesit brands, London Fire Brigade and the Bhatt family, who each put forward their own theories as to how the fire started.

After considering the evidence the coroner concluded that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in the dryer, most likely in the dryer’s condensate pump, which pumps water extracted during the drying process from a reservoir at the bottom of the machine to a bottle at the top which can be emptied by the user. 

The coroner has said he will be releasing a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report in relation to the fatal fire recommending that the following action be taken:

• Whirlpool to provide all relevant data on door switch failures to HM Coroner and the Office of Product Safety and Standards in order to establish the full extent of the problem. Retailers should always notify Trading Standards when they receive reports of a safety related failure, including fires, in products reported to them by customers.
• That British Standards Institute working group to investigate the safety of mains and sub-mains operated door switches and report on the outcome of this work. Mains operated and sub-mains door switches are used by a number of manufacturers across a range of models.
• Whirlpool share their consideration/decision rationale regarding taking corrective action regards to all appliances known to be fitted with this type of door switch. Examinations by London Fire Brigade have found defective door switches as far back as 2014.
• That companies and organisations which investigate fires, such as insurance companies, legal firms, private fire investigators etc. should be legally obliged to notify Trading Standards when the outcome of an investigation is that the cause of a fire is believed to have been the result of a product failure. Retailers should always notify Trading Standards when they receive reports of a safety related failure, including fires, in products reported to them by customers.
• The manufacturers’ risk assessment process needs to be reviewed to take account of the heightened risk to people whilst they are asleep.
  
  The London Fire Brigade have been working with the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) to develop other means of identifying fire damaged white goods, via the sharing of digital images between appliance manufacturers and FRS's. This is a trial scheme and if it does not provide clear evidence of success, then an indelible marking scheme in the form of a stamp or metal plate (or similar) that identifies the manufacturer and model number of the appliance is recommended as it would improve the identification process and remove any potential ambiguity or doubt.
• That the condensate pump in tumble dryers should not be housed in casing which a) allows for the ingress of water where there are live electrical components (i.e it is not hermetically sealed), b) is flammable / not manufactured in flame retardant materials c) provides an additional fuel load for a potential fire and d) manufacturers should consider that this condensate pump might be used in wet appliances produced by other manufacturers.

The coroner’s PFD report will be sent to:

The Office of Product Safety and Standards, the British Standards Institute, The Home Office (Fire Policy team), the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the Association of British Insurers, Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd, Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd Primary Authority and North Yorkshire Trading Standards Authority. 

Once the PFD report is issued, the organisations concerned have 56 days to respond.

Pavan Bhatt was represented at the inquest by Thomas Jervis, partner at law firm Leigh Day. 

Pavan Bhatt said:

“To lose my grandmother and uncle in such terrible circumstances has been immensely traumatic for myself and the rest of my family. Since the night of the fire, I have not only had to deal with the loss of two much-loved family members, I have also been made homeless and had my whole life uprooted. To hear evidence at the inquest that the fire which cost my relatives their lives was caused by a tumble dryer which I had only purchased six months before the fire is deeply troubling to me. This model is clearly dangerous and should be recalled as soon as possible. If not, I fear it will not be long before another family experiences the pain and grief we have had to endure.” 

Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis said:

“The Whirlpool Hotpoint tumble dryer that caused this tragic fire and cost my client the lives of two of his closest relatives, was purchased brand new just six months earlier. It is plain to see that, despite Whirlpool’s previous track record of fires being caused by its faulty appliances, the company has failed to learn vital lessons around fire safety in relation to its products. It is time the company took greater responsibility for the safety of its customers and recalled this particular model of tumble dryer as well as any others where there may be safety concerns. This is not the first time I have represented families at inquests into deaths caused by fires involving Whirlpool Hotpoint appliances. If urgent action is not taken, I fear it may not be the last."