An 86-year-old disabled grandmother and her son were killed in a blaze at their north London home after a fault in their Whirlpool Hotpoint tumble dryer, an inquest has heard.
Champagauri Bhatt and Dipak Bhatt, 66, were killed after a fire broke out at their home in Edgware at roughly 6pm on March 23 last year.
Champagauri was severely disabled, registered blind and used a wheelchair, while Dipak was brain damaged and unable to speak due to a serious stroke that he suffered some years before.
Their grandson and nephew Pavan Bhatt, a 29-year-old computer scientist who cared for them, was at work at the time of the blaze and was left homeless after the fire.
An inquest at Barnet Coroner’s Court on Friday ruled that the pair died from 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, the inquest heard.
It heard how Champagauri and Dipak were thought to have been asleep when the fire started.
They 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 March 31 2023 and Dipak died on April 18 2023.
The coroner found the flaw was likely caused by fault in the dryer’s condensate pump, which pumps water extracted during the drying process.
Coroner for North London Dr Peter Straker said he would be issuing a rare Prevention of Future Deaths notice over the case - warning that further deaths may occur unless action is taken.
He recommended that Whirlpool should provide all relevant data on door switch failures to the authorities to establish the full extent of the problem, and that the British Standards Institute 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.
He has also recommended Whirlpool explain its rationale for all of its appliances known to be fitted with this type of door switch, among other changes.
Pavan Bhatt said the loss of his grandmother and uncle had been “immensely traumatic”.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Thomas Jervis, a partner at the Leigh Day law firm which represented Pavan at the inquest, 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.”
