Household appliance fire claims
See how our expert team can help if you have been affected by an appliance fire
If you’ve had a fire at your home, it can be a devastating experience that damages or destroys your property and causes serious injury. Sadly, in rare cases, house fires can cause the death of a loved one. Our team of house fire solicitors have many years of experience dealing with house fire claims and cases started by faulty appliances.
Faulty appliances caused almost 15,000 housefires in 2020 . Every year problems with the following appliances start hundreds of household fires:
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Dishwashers
- Ovens
- Fridges and freezers
Our household fire claims lawyer and team leader, Jill Paterson, has acted for clients affected by house fires believed to have been caused by all these types of appliance. The team also includes former LFB fire investigation officer, Andrew Vaughan-Davies and partner Thomas Jervis.
Over the last 13 years, the fire claims team has investigated numerous compensation claims relating to white goods companies' domestic appliances, including:
- Beko
- Bosch
- Indesit
- Hotpoint
- Hoover Candy
- Whirlpool
If you’ve suffered because of a house fire caused by faulty appliances, get in touch with our team today to discuss your claim.
See how we helped others
Appliance fire - Emma's story
Emma and her son were at home when a serious fire broke out
Appliance fire - Lorraine's story
Lorraine's house was gutted by a house fire caused by a defective tumble dryer
Appliance fire - Jessica’s story
Jessica and her daughter were forced out of their home after a fire
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What should I do after a house fire?
Knowing where to turn and what to do after a house fire can be a turbulent and confusing time. After the fire brigade have extinguished the fire, they will let you know whether it’s safe to return to your home or if you need to find alternative accommodation.
- If you can go home, the fire brigade may advise you around ventilating the property to get rid of any lingering smoke.
- If you can’t go home, you have to contact your home insurance provider. They should arrange alternative accommodation if you have emergency accommodation cover.
If your home insurance policy doesn’t cover emergency accommodation, charities like the Red Cross may be able to help you with information about housing, clothing and food. You could also speak to family and friends to see if they can help.
You should aim to contact your home insurer as soon as possible after a house fire to make sure they can help cover the cost to repair the damage done to your home. For more information on potential next steps, check out our after a fire FAQ page.
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Make an appliance house fire claim
If you have suffered from a fire caused by a faulty home appliance such as a tumble dryer, fridge freezer or washing machine, which destroyed or damaged your home, getting back on your feet again can be a struggle.
Dealing with the manufacturers of the product, who are often large corporations, can be daunting. That’s where we come in. Our ethos is to ensure that you have just as good quality legal advice as our state bodies, insurers, and multi-nationals for all types of household fire claims. This has led us to take on many 'David and Goliath' legal struggles for justice.
White goods should not cause fires. They shouldn’t destroy your life, your home, your belongings. The personal injuries caused by fires are physical and can affect you psychologically, which is often overlooked.
Who is responsible for appliance house fires?
Safety campaigners believe that appliance manufacturers have not done enough to raise awareness about potential problems associated with their products. This leaves many consumers unaware that their homes could be at risk of fire. Our team of specialist household fire solicitors believe the UK's product safety and recall system needs overhauling to protect consumer safety better.
Members of our specialist appliance fire team regularly comment in the media on the issue of product safety and recall. This includes on BBC News and Radio, ITV, and Sky, as well as in newspapers such as the Sunday Times and the Mirror. Our clients’ stories have featured in news items covered by BBC’s Watchdog and many other consumer programmes.
Meet the fire claims team
Jill Paterson
Partner in the product safety team with particular experience in fire appliance injury claims.
Thomas Jervis
Thomas Jervis is an internationally recognised leading consumer lawyer
Andrew Vaughan-Davies
Former fire investigation officer now works in the product safety team
Useful household fire information
Lithium fires
Rechargeable batteries containing lithium store a lot of energy in a lightweight and compact form. They’re widely used in appliances such as laptop computers, mobile phones, digital cameras, power tools, aircraft and cars.
In rare cases, lithium batteries can overheat and catch fire. Lithium is a highly reactive substance. If there is any damage or a small fault in the battery, this can cause a short-circuit and build-up of heat. It may lead to the battery bursting into flames. Lithium batteries can be damaged:
- When used in hot environments
- Through excessive discharging
- By over-charging
If lithium batteries catch fire, they can cause fierce explosions and create fires that are difficult to put out.
In recent years:
- After being burnt in appliance fires related to lithium-ion batteries, consumers have reported injuries, including fires in phone chargers, laptops, and e-cigarettes.
- Fire rescue services in the UK have reported an increase in serious house fires that have been caused by lithium batteries overheating.
- Product recalls have taken place for products containing lithium batteries, often as a precautionary measure by manufacturers.
If you have been injured or suffered financial loss, if your property was damaged after an appliance caught fire, you may be able to bring a house fire claim for compensation.
There are many organisations that provide further help, advice and support around household appliance fires
If you want more information around product recalls related to household appliance fires, these sources can be a good place to start
Guidance after a fire
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