Young family ‘lose everything’ days before Christmas as Whirlpool washing machine sets fire to home
A YOUNG family has lost everything just days before Christmas after a devastating fire in their home believed to have been caused by their Hotpoint washing machine.
Jay Dickin, 27, wife Linda, 28, and their one-year-old son Ezra, have been forced to move into Linda’s parents' home over the festive period following the blaze.
Linda, from Chudleigh in Devon said: “I just had a panic attack and couldn’t breath but my husband was amazing.
“The main thing is we are safe but sadly nothing in the house can be saved.
“Our washing machine was on and that’s what makes the fire brigade think that was the cause.”
Firefighters were called to the family's home, which they own, at around 3.30pm on December 22 to put out the flames.
Thankfully, the family were out visiting friends when the fire ripped through their kitchen and a neighbour called them about the blaze.
It's unclear what caused the inferno but the couple say fire fighters believe their washing machine could be at fault - Hotpoint says it's investigating.
Whirlpool, which makes the Hotpoint brand among others, issued a recall earlier this month for half a million washing machines.
The brand's washing machines have been linked to 3,000 fires over the past decade.
It follows a similar recall for more than 800,000 Whirlpool tumble dryers.
Just last week, a young mum rescued her toddler from their smoke-filled home after their Whirlpool tumble dryer caught fire.
Luckily, the fire at the Dickin's was contained to the kitchen and there is no structural damage to their house. The couple also have home insurance.
But teacher Jay says toxic smoke from melting plastic destroyed everything they owned.
And Linda - a hospice fundraiser - says precious family belongings have been ruined.
She is now warning people to check if their washing machine is on Whirlpool's recall list.
Whirlpool wouldn't confirm to The Sun if the Dicken's model was on the recall list or not, and the Dicken's say they don't know.
“We didn’t even know this was in the media,” Linda said.
“The thing I want to do is spread the word for people to check their washing machines to make sure it is not one of the ones Whirlpool is recalling.
“Our fire alarms did work, which is positive, but also we want people to check whether their fire alarms are working.”
Unbeknown the the couple, a has been set up for the family and Linda and Jay say they are overwhelmed by the response.
On a Facebook post Linda wrote: “Thank you all so much for the kind messages today regarding the fire at our house.
“Thank you, especially to our neighbours who were so kind and have given us some baby clothes to tide us over.”
More on Whirlpool
A Whirlpool spokesperson said: “We express our deepest sympathies to the Dicken family for the distress and inconvenience caused by this incident, particularly at this time of the year.
“We take safety extremely seriously and always seek to thoroughly investigate reports of this nature. While investigations are ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this stage.”
See Whirlpool's recall list for all of the washing machines affected - but bear in mind that we spoke to one mum whose Whirlpool machine exploded and it wasn't even on the recall list.