Thousands own faulty fridge that started blaze
TENS of thousands of households across Britain are likely to own the same model of faulty fridge freezer that caused the fire at Grenfell Tower.
The Government ordered an investigation yesterday after the Metropolitan Police revealed that the blaze started in a Hotpoint appliance before spreading to the cladding and insulation.
The revelation turns the spotlight on Whirlpool, the US giant that owns Hotpoint and is the biggest manufacturer of white goods in the world. It confirmed yesterday that 64,000 units of the fridge freezer were manufactured between 2006 and 2009, when production stopped. It said the ‘majority’ were sold in the UK and Ireland.
The concerns centre on Hotpoints with the model numbers FF175BP, in white, and FF175BG, in grey. Police said the fridge freezer had not been linked to any previous fires or subject to a recall.
Yesterday the Government said that ‘at this stage there is no specific reason’ for people who own this model to turn it off until the investigation is completed.
A spokesman said this was also based on advice from Public Health England that households switching off their fridges could lead to an outbreak of food poisoning.
Whirlpool and independent experts appointed by the Government will now examine the machine. But one MP raised fears that the problem could be much more widespread and affect hundreds of thousands because different models often have similar mechanics.
Andy Slaughter, the Labour MP for Hammersmith, has previously clashed with Whirlpool after a Hotpoint tumble dryer with a previous safety warning caught fire last summer at a tower block in Shepherds Bush, West London, close to Grenfell Tower.
‘White goods fires are becoming more common,’ he said. I worry there may be very similar machines out there. We urgently need to know what caused this fridge freezer to catch fire and whether the fault could affect other Hotpoint models and even other brands.’
Mr Slaughter also took issue with the Government’s advice to fridge owners not to turn their devices off. ‘If I had one of these models in my house I don’t think I’d be using it,’ he said.
The London Fire Brigade said it generally advises households to turn off white goods if they have any reason to believe they are faulty.
Whirlpool urged customers to phone its helpline to provide details of their appliance and contact details so they can be kept informed of the investigation.
A spokesman said: ‘We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations. We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency.’