A man whose family died in a house fire due to a faulty tumble dryer has urged others to check their machines for potential dangers.
Pavan Bhatt lost his grandmother Champagauri, 86, and uncle Dipak, 66, in March last year after an electrical fault inside the Hotpoint machine caused a devastating fire inside their north London home.
The 30-year-old man was returning from work when a panicked neighbor called him to inform him that his house was on fire.
Pavan ran as fast as he could and found the house on fire and the emergency services were already on the scene.
Unfortunately, his two relatives, both with disabilities, could not be saved. They are believed to have been asleep when the fire started and died from smoke inhalation.
Pavan told The Sunday Times: “When someone buys a tumble dryer, they don’t buy it thinking, ‘I’ve just put a potential bomb in my house.’
Your case is not isolated. More than 5 million dryers under Whirlpool’s Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit brands had a design flaw that caused at least 750 home fires between 2004 and 2015.
It comes as another common feature of British homes has been linked to deaths – modern kitchen worktops.
Pavan Bhatt lost his grandmother and uncle in March last year after an electrical fault inside a Hotpoint tumble dryer caused a devastating fire inside their north London home (pictured).
Champagauri Bhatt, 86, and her son Dipak Bhatt, 66, (pictured together) tragically lost their lives when a fire broke out at their home in Edgware, north London, on March 29 last year .
Pavan also asks Whirlpool, owner of the European division of the Hotpoint brand, to withdraw from the market the model that caused the fire in his house (File image)
A growing number of doctors have warned about the risks of dust expelled from quartz kitchen countertops, now seen in kitchens across the country.
A British stonemason has already died from a disease called silicosis, in which small stone particles are inhaled during the cutting process.
Once in the lungs, these particles can accumulate and devastate the lungs, causing internal scarring and inflammation.
Silicosis sufferers (so far only those who work with stone) are at increased risk of infection, have dangerously reduced lung efficiency, which means their organs have difficulty functioning properly and can suffer life-threatening organ failure.
In the last year, there have been 11 cases in the UK, including one death from this progressive disease which can only be cured by a lung transplant.
One of those affected is Marek Marzec, a father of three, who said silicosis, a lung disease, has left him “unable to breathe” and “in terrible pain.”
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr. Marzec, who is too ill to undergo a life-saving lung transplant, said he demands
Marzec, who is too sick to undergo a life-saving lung transplantsaid it demands “urgent” security changes to avoid others die simply after “doing their job.”
Marek Marzec suffers terminal illness at age 48 after spending a decade working with quartz countertops in a stone factory
Expensive quartz countertops are made from one of the hardest minerals in the world that, when processed, releases potentially harmful fine dust particles.
Silicosis, through the fine particles that workers inhale, causes internal scarring and inflammation of the lungs. Image of silicosis of lung tissue with magnification.
As a result of the recent fire tragedy, Pavan is asking Whirlpool to recall the model that caused the fire in his house.
Fires involving Whirlpool’s Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit brands have previously been linked to deaths and near misses in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
In 2019, following public outcry, Whirlpool confirmed that it was necessary to recall some of its Hotpoint and Indesit models.
The coroner investigating the deaths of Pavan’s family has said he will publish a Preventing Future Deaths report calling for a review of the risk assessment process for tumble dryer manufacturers.
He added that Whirlpool should provide all relevant data on certain mechanical failures to HM Coroner and the Office of Product Safety and Standards, so that they can fully establish the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, Pavan is considering filing a civil suit for compensation against Whirlpool itself after becoming homeless following the inferno.
Whirlpool told the Sunday Times that the safety of its products was its “top priority” and expressed its “deepest condolences to the Bhatt family.”
The company added: “We are actively reviewing the coroner’s findings in detail and will remain in constant dialogue with regulatory authorities.”
The inquest earlier this year heard from three forensic experts, each selected by Whirlpool, Bhatt and LFB.
The investigator chosen by Whirlpool suggested that there could have been an “external” cause to the fire: possibly a cigarette butt, since Pavan’s uncle was allowed to smoke two cigarettes a day, under supervision.
The other two believed it was caused by a machine failure, one said it was a problem with the dryer pump, while the other said it was due to an electrical fault in the dryer door switch.
Leigh Day partner Thomas Jervis, who represented Pavan at the investigation, said: “The Whirlpool Hotpoint tumble dryer which caused this tragic fire and cost my client the lives of two of his closest relatives, was bought new just six months before.”
‘It is evident that, despite Whirlpool’s past history of fires caused by its defective appliances, the company has failed to learn vital fire safety lessons in relation to its products.
‘It is time for the company to take greater responsibility for the safety of its customers and recall this particular model of dryer, as well as any others that may raise safety concerns.
‘This is not the first time I have represented families in investigations into deaths caused by fires involving Whirlpool Hotpoint appliances. If urgent action is not taken, I fear it may not be the last.’
MailOnline has contacted Whirlpool for comment.