Data from the London Fire Brigade, covering eight years, shows that Whirlpool white goods caused three times more fires than any other manufacturer. The data was released after a Freedom of Information request by law firm Leigh Day for all manufacturers whose appliances caused more than 50 fires over the period. A total of 2 891 fires caused by white goods were included in the data, in private dwellings as well as in public settings such as care homes, resulting in 10 deaths and 348 injuries. Whirlpool appliances caused 895 fires (including the brands Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool, Creda, ProLine and Swan). Whirlpool responded by underlining that the figures should be compared to market share. The data showed that the most fires were caused by washing machines (908), followed by tumble driers (608), refrigerators (600) and dishwashers (426). Again these data should be compared to market penetration, which is significantly higher for washing machines and refrigerators than for dishwashers or tumble dryers.
“Whirlpool named ‘worst offender’ for white goods fires in London”, The Guardian, 24 November 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/24/whirlpool-named-worst-offender-for-white-goods-fires-in-london and Leigh Day “Data shows thousands of fires caused by white goods in London” same date https://www.leighday.co.uk/News/News-2017/November-2017/Data-shows-thousands-of-fires-caused-by-white-good