London Fire Brigade is reissuing essential advice to people about white goods safety following the announcement that the Grenfell Tower fire started in a fridge freezer.
The Metropolitan Police announced on June 23 that the fire was not started deliberately and originated in a fridge freezer. The investigation has identified the make and model as a Hotpoint FF175BP and that this model has not been subject to any product recall.
In a statement, Hotpoint said: “Words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy. We offer our most profound condolences to the victims, those who have lost loved ones, homes, and possessions, and to their friends and families. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved, including the emergency services who risked their lives to extinguish the blaze and rescue those in the building.
“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.
“We have just been informed that the fire may have originated in a Hotpoint fridge-freezer – model number FF175BP.”
The Government is asking consumers who believe they may own a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) to call Whirlpool Corporation’s freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit www.hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer to register their details for further updates.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Almost every home is fitted with kitchen appliances such as fridge freezers, washing machines and tumble dryers and most work safely without incident. However issues with these appliances can sometimes arise and it’s important that people know what to do to check whether their fridge, freezer and other white goods are safe.
“If any of your appliances starts making a strange noise, don’t ignore it. If you think there may be a problem always unplug it and contact the manufacturer or a qualified appliance repair technician.
“You can also check to see whether it is the subject of a product recall by visiting the Government’s product recall site and you should follow our basic safety advice on guarding against fires in white goods.”
The Brigade’s spokesperson added: “While we can’t talk about the circumstances of the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower this latest development throws into sharp focus how important it is to ensure defective appliances are removed from homes across the UK. Our Total Recalls campaign is calling on the government and manufacturers to implement a number of changes to make all white goods safer.”
