Coroner warns over Hoover and Candy tumble dryers after father and 9-year-old girl die in West Yorkshire fire

Senior coroner Martin Fleming has issued a safety warning about tumble dryers following an inquest into the deaths of two people in a house fire in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire. Sohaib Ahmed, 38, and his 9-year-old daughter Manahal died. His other daughter was taken to hospital with serious injuries and survived.

What the inquest found

According to Polish Express, investigators concluded the fire was most likely caused by a Hoover condenser tumble dryer, model DX C10DCER-80. Firefighters found the father unconscious just inside the front door and the girl upstairs. Despite resuscitation attempts, both died from smoke inhalation.

The exact cause of the fault could not be identified because the dryer was almost completely destroyed. Possible causes mentioned include a fault with the heating element relay, a short circuit or faulty wiring.

The coroner's warning

The coroner wrote that the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) had received a significant number of reports from fire services across the country about fires involving this model. In his view, as many as 1.6 million Hoover and Candy dryers, both condenser and vented, may share the same design features. He also warned of a serious risk of further deaths if no action is taken. He called for a safety review of the appliances and for sales of the model to be halted.

The manufacturer and the regulator

Hoover and Candy belong to the Haier group. The company offered condolences to the family but says there is no evidence of a "systemic safety problem". It declined to recall the appliance, saying there are insufficient grounds to do so.

The DX C10DCER-80 is no longer made. Production ended in 2022. Individual units may still be held in third-party sellers' warehouses, and the model is also offered second-hand or refurbished.

OPSS has treated the case as a priority. It has ordered the manufacturer to carry out a detailed root cause analysis for appliances linked to the tragedy.

What this means for Poles in the UK

Hoover and Candy dryers are common in British homes, so it is worth checking the brand and model number on your appliance's rating plate. This applies especially to the DX C10DCER-80, including if it was bought second-hand. Polish Express advises that, if you have any doubts about your dryer, you avoid running it overnight or while you are out of the house.

Note that the figure of 1.6 million is the coroner's estimate of appliances that may share similar design features. It is not a confirmed number of faulty appliances. Separately, OPSS has taken action over some Haier heat pump tumble dryers, including Hoover and Candy. However, the available sources do not indicate that these concern the same model. Information on those programmes is available on GOV.UK.