An 86-year-old grandmother, Champagauri Bhatt, and her 66-year-old disabled son, Dipak Bhatt, lost their lives tragically in a house fire that occurred on March 29 last year in Edgware, North London. A pre-inquest review hearing at North London Coroner’s Court shed light on the possible involvement of a faulty tumble dryer in the devastating incident.
Investigators revealed that the fire, which engulfed their semi-detached house on that fateful day, may have originated from their Whirlpool tumble dryer. The London Fire Brigade had reported significant damage to most of the ground floor and half of the first floor of the residence.
During the incident, one woman managed to exit the house before the arrival of firefighters, while emergency responders, wearing breathing apparatus, rescued a man from the burning building. Both victims were rushed to the hospital, but, tragically, they succumbed to their injuries.
At the pre-inquest review, Barrister Adam Korn, representing the Bhatt family, disclosed the varying expert opinions on the potential cause of the fire. Investigator Dr. Jarrett believed the fire might have been caused by the condensate drain pump terminal or the EMI filter terminal. In contrast, Investigator Mr Ansel suggested an electrical fault at the door switch of the tumble dryer as the possible source.
However, another investigator, Mr Jonathan-Thomas, proposed the existence of an ‘external’ factor that contributed to the fire, possibly a cigarette butt. Mr Korn contested this theory, emphasizing that Dipak, the uncle of Paven Bhatt (the grandson and nephew of the deceased), was a supervised smoker due to his brain damage. Paven’s grandmother had lit and extinguished the cigarettes for him, making it unlikely that a cigarette butt was the cause.
Barrister Dominic Adamson, representing Whirlpool, inquired whether the cause of the fire could be excluded from the scope of the inquest, citing differing expert opinions and an ongoing civil claim by the family. Coroner Dr. Peter Straker, however, disagreed, emphasizing the importance of understanding the fire’s cause to prevent future incidents.
Dr. Straker ordered Whirlpool to disclose additional information requested by investigator Dr. Jarrett. The full inquest is scheduled to take place in November this year, seeking to shed light on the tragic incident’s exact cause and determine any potential safety concerns related to the tumble dryer.
