Hotpoint fridge freezer sparked Grenfell Tower fire

Hotpoint's safety record was called into question as police confirmed that it was one of its fridges that sparked the Grenfell Tower fire. 

A Hotpoint FF175BP model was found to have been the fridge at the centre of the tragedy which has left 79 people dead or missing presumed dead. 

Urgent tests are now being carried out on the fridge freezers and anyone who has the same model or the FF175BG model has been urged to contact the manufacturer. 

The company, which made 64,000 of the fridge freezers between 2006 and 2009, should recall them immediately if they are found to be faulty, experts said. 

Hotpoint offered "profound condolences" to the victims and is working to assist the authorities "in any way we can" in the wake of the fire.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack confirmed that the FF175BP model has not previously been subject to any product recall.

It was made by Indesit which along with Hotpoint is part of the Whirlpool group. 

Alex Neill, from consumer group Which?, said: "If it turns out that faults in this fridge-freezer caused the fire to start at Grenfell Tower, this raises serious questions about the safety of these products.

"If this model is found to be faulty, a full product recall must be implemented swiftly by the manufacturer so that any at-risk products are removed from people's homes."

It is not the first time that Hotpoint products have been linked to fires. In February, Whirlpool upgraded a warning to consumers with faulty Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda tumble dryers to unplug the potentially dangerous machines until they have been repaired.

Fire chiefs had warned in October last year that owners of the faulty dryers must stop using them immediately, after one of the machines was found to be the cause of a huge blaze in an 18-storey tower block in Shepherd's Bush in west London.

LFB said it believed a faulty Indesit dryer was the cause of the August 19 2016 blaze, following a "painstaking" investigation.

Hotpoint is just one of a number of household names which has had to recall products amid fire safety concerns.  Beko recalled 480,000 fridge freezers after they were linked to a number of fires and Samsung, Bosch, Hoover and Siemens have also had to put out safety recalls. 

According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), nearly one fire a day in the capital involves white goods, and its "Total Recalls" campaign has called on the Government, manufacturers and retailers to make changes to improve safety.

One proposed measure calls for manufacturers to use metal rather than plastic to make the backs of fridges in order to protect flammable polyurethane insulation, which is used in most refrigeration, from components that could cause a blaze.

LFB said on its website: "There is currently no legal requirement or industry standard that outlines this insulation material must be isolated or protected from fire."

"A significant number of fires which start in fridges and freezers start in components called capacitors. When capacitors are used in fridges and freezers it should be done in a way that prevents them starting fires, even if they do fail."

LFB has also called for a central register of product recalls, better publicity of faults and recalls, and greater regulation of secondhand appliances as part of its campaign.

Phil Buckle, Chief Executive of Electrical Safety First commented:“While the Metropolitan Police are still investigating why this tragic fire spread so quickly, we know that fridge freezers, along with other large white goods, are a major cause of fire in UK homes."

A spokesman for Hotpoint confirmed they had been told that the fire originated in a fridge-freezer of that model. He said: "We are working with the authorities to obtain access to the appliance so that we can assist with the ongoing investigations. "Under these circumstances, we are unable to speculate on further details at this time.

"We are addressing this as a matter of utmost urgency and assisting the authorities in any way we can. We will provide additional updates as our investigations progress.

"Consumers who believe they may have a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP or FF175BG should call our freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer so that we can register their details and contact them with further information."