A family has lost everything just before Christmas in a devastating house fire that they claim was caused by their Hotpoint washing machine.
Jay and Linda Dickin – along with their one-year-old boy Ezra – had been visiting friends when a fire ripped through the kitchen of their home in Chudleigh, Devon.
They received a call from firefighters at around 3.30pm on Sunday after putting out the blaze, although their home had suffered 100 per cent smoke damage.
Jay and Linda Dickin – along with their one-year-old boy Ezra – had been visiting friends when a fire ripped through the kitchen of their home in Chudleigh, Devon
Last week manufacturer Whirlpool was forced to put out a recall on half a million machines over a fire risk.
Linda, 28, said: ‘I just had a panic attack and couldn’t breath but my husband was amazing. They are pretty sure it was the washing machine that caused the fire.
‘The washing machine was on and that’s what makes the fire brigade think that was the cause. Also it being in the press leads us to think that.’
The exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
Linda – a hospice fundraiser – said precious family belongings have been ruined.
The fire was contained to the kitchen but Jay, 27, a teacher, said toxic smoke from melting plastic destroyed everything they had ever owned.
There is no structural damage to their house in Chudleigh, Devon, but the family has been forced to move into Linda’s parent’s home for Christmas.
Linda is now warning people to check that their washing machine is not on the recall list.
A fundraising page has been set up since the fire and Linda and Jay said they were overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers
‘We didn’t even know this was in the media,’ Linda said.
‘The thing I want to do is spread the word for one people to check their washing machines to make sure it is not one of the ones they are recalling.
‘Our fire alarms did work which was positive but also we want people to check whether their fire alarms are working.’
A fundraising page has been set up since the fire and Linda and Jay said they were overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers.
Linda said the family had home insurance and the most important thing is that everyone is safe and together for Christmas.
On a Facebook post she wrote: ‘Thank you all so much for the kind messages today regarding the fire at our house.
‘The main thing is we are safe but sadly nothing in the house can be saved.
‘Thank you, especially to our neighbours who were so kind and have given us some baby clothes to tide us over for tonight.’
D Hopkins, who started the fundraising page, which has already raised almost £3,000, wrote: ‘What an awful time for this to happen just before Christmas.
‘They have already been overwhelmed by the support of their family, neighbours, friends and local community but are in need of replacing all the essentials.
‘Just a few pounds could provide this young family with the peace of mind they need to help them get through Christmas and look forward to the New Year.’
In a statement, Hotpoint said: ‘We express our deepest sympathies to the Dicken family for the distress and inconvenience caused by this incident, particularly at this time of the year.
‘We take safety extremely seriously and always seek to thoroughly investigate reports of this nature. While investigations are ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this stage.’
A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said: ‘We were called just before 3pm and sent three appliances. There was a fire in a washing machine in the ground floor kitchen.
‘The kitchen was 50 per cent damaged by fire and 100 per cent damaged by smoke. The remainder of the property was 100 per cent damaged by smoke. Accidental cause.’
Fury as Whirlpool ‘urgently’ recalls half a million washing machines over fault that sees them burst into flames – but not until AFTER Christmas…. and tells customers to just UNPLUG them instead
Whirlpool today urgently recalled over half a million Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines – but not until January, with customers told to just unplug them over Christmas to stop them catching fire.
The firm said as many as 519,000 washing machines sold in the UK between October 2014 and February 2018 could be affected by a flaw with the door-locking system that could lead to them bursting open or dangerously overheating.
Whirlpool urged owners of appliances bought since 2014 to contact them immediately to check if their washing machine is one of the models affected, acknowledging that the timing of the alert would cause ‘inconvenience and concern’ to hundreds of thousands of consumers over Christmas.
However, furious customers took to Twitter to slam the American manufacturer after the website it set up for recalls apparently crashed and the telephone lines became engaged.
Scroll down for the full list of recalled washing machines.
Whirlpool has recalled thousands of machines under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands. Pictured is the destruction caused when Simon and Zara Bettridge’s Hotpoint washing machine exploded in 2016
Another customer, Colin Doherty, shared a picture of what he said was a faulty door locking mechanism
Furious customers took to Twitter to slam the manufacturer after complaining the website it had directed customers to for recalls had collapsed and the telephone lines were engaged
Sue Davies, Which? strategic policy adviser, said: ‘This safety alert will cause huge disruption for millions of people who will have no washing machine over Christmas, and following the tumble dryer scandal, leaves Whirlpool’s reputation as a company that can be trusted on product safety in tatters.’
The consumer rights group predicted customers would be able to claim ‘out of pocket’ expenses resulting from not being able to use the machine from Whirlpool, as long as they were ‘reasonable and foreseeable’.
Whirlpool said it was working at ‘full speed’ as it prepares to officially begin the recall in early January.
In the meantime, it advised consumers to unplug their washing machines and not use them.
Those who chose to continue using their machines should only use cold water cycles of 20C or lower as this significantly reduces the risk, Whirlpool said.
This is because the issue is associated with the washing machine’s heating element being activated during washing cycles above 20C.
Under the recall, all affected customers will have the choice of either a free-of-charge like-for-like replacement washing machine, or a free-of-charge in-home repair of their existing appliance.
Whirlpool Corporation vice president Jeff Noel said: ‘We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers, particularly over the Christmas period, but we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people’s safety is our top priority.
‘Preparing for a recall of this scale is a complex operation and we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready to start offering replacements or repairs to our customers from early January.’
Sue Davies, strategic policy adviser at consumer group Which?, said: ‘This safety alert will cause huge disruption for millions of people who will have no washing machine over Christmas, and following the tumble dryer scandal, leaves Whirlpool’s reputation as a company that can be trusted on product safety in tatters.
‘People will rightly be asking what Whirlpool knew about these fire-risk machines and when, so there must now be a thorough investigation into this public safety issue. We know the company has a track record for appearing to put corporate reputation ahead of public safety in its disgraceful handling of the unsafe tumble dryer crisis.’
Consumers can check if their washing machine is affected by visiting https://washingmachinerecall.whirlpool.co.uk. This site includes an online model checker tool, as well as a full list of model numbers. However, it did not appear to be working at 4pm this afternoon.
Alternatively, customers can call Whirlpool’s freephone hotline 0800 316 1442 where an adviser can assist with checking their model and providing further information.
Debbie Flint, 34, said her two-year-old son Jack had been playing on the kitchen floor in front of the machine moments before it exploded
Lisa Leighton, 37, and her four-month-old baby, Daisy, pictured alongside the damage and remains following the explosion of her Hotpoint Aquarius washing machine
Whirlpool’s recall website appeared to crash this afternoon, prompting anger from customers
Customers were angry that the link Whirlpool posted on Twitter appeared to have gone down this afternoon
To check if a washing machine is potentially affected, customers will need both the model number and the serial number of the appliance. Both of these codes can be found inside the door, or alternatively on a label on the rear of the appliance.
Whirlpool said the issue was identified by its safety team, adding that ‘no serious injuries have been reported’.
The latest recall comes after the company finally launched a full recall involving 500,000 dryers in July.
The company acted after being criticised for resisting demands for a full recall and instead carrying out a lengthy ‘safety campaign’ that saw 1.7 million products modified instead.
That earlier recall related to certain models of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline dryers built between 2004 and 2015.
In November, MPs said it was ‘extraordinary’ that as many as 800,000 of the defective dryers could still remain in people’s homes four years after Whirlpool revealed they were a fire risk.
A Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee investigation into the firm criticised the company for its slow response in modifying or replacing faulty machines while also condemning the firm’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to ‘silence customers’.
Whirlpool had earlier revealed that, in recent years, it had logged 54 fires in its tumble dryers and admitted that three of those were models which had already been modified.
The BEIS committee also expressed concerns, shared by safety organisations, about the safety of Whirlpool’s modification.
The report called on the Government to press ahead with a new review of the safety of Whirlpool’s modification and to investigate other possible sources of fires in Whirlpool’s tumble dryers.
The BEIS report followed Grenfell Tower inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick saying he had ‘no doubt’ that the fire was started by an electrical fault in a Hotpoint fridge-freezer, and dismissed a ‘fanciful’ claim by Whirlpool that the fire could have been sparked by a discarded cigarette.
Whirlpool has urged owners of appliances bought since 2014 to contact them immediately to check if their washing machine is one of the models affected. Pictured are their Michigan headquarters
In July, Whirlpool finally agreed to recall thousands of tumble dryers from British homes after they were linked to hundreds of fires.
There were as many as 800,000 appliances across the UK that will need replacing, MailOnline understands, landing the US company with a multi-million pound bill.
Under the recall, consumers with an unmodified, affected tumble dryer will be entitled to a new replacement machine. This will be delivered and installed, with the old one removed, all at no cost.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) said Whirlpool had also agreed to deliver wide ranging publicity of the product recall aimed at reaching affected consumers and driving up awareness, guarantee no charges for delivery, installation or removal of machines and provide the OPSS with ‘timely’ reporting of progress.