Five main white-goods ignition categories accounted for 1,697 primary fires in England in 2025/26. Appliance-fire counts, insurer claims and product recalls describe different measures and should be read separately. This page gathers the official UK white goods fire statistics in one referenced place: appliance analysis from Electrical Safety First, MHCLG’s fire statistics tables for England, the London Fire Brigade white-goods ignition dataset on the London Datastore, and the live 2025-26 recall action from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). The data period is stated next to every figure.
Key facts and figures
- 1,697 primary fires in England in 2025/26 across five white-goods ignition categories, calculated from MHCLG FIRE0602.
- 746 of those fires involved tumble dryers; washing machines accounted for 428.
- 4 deaths and 159 non-fatal casualties in those five categories in 2025/26.
- 51% of Admiral’s white-goods fire claims involved tumble dryers and 24% dishwashers in the historical three-year analysis reported by Electrical Safety First.
- £36,870 average claim in that Admiral analysis; this is not a national average fire cost.
- 85,000 affected Haier-made dryers still required repair in OPSS’s December 2025 update; its April 2026 programme page provides model-specific information.
- 268 London white-goods fire records for calendar 2025 in the latest downloaded LFB workbook; washing machines accounted for 92.
- 750+ fires linked to the historical Whirlpool defect in the 2018 parliamentary inquiry; up to 800,000 unmodified machines were discussed in its 2019 follow-up.
Checked on 15 October 2026. The England primary-fire total uses the August 2026 FIRE0602 release. London counts use the current downloaded LFB workbook; 2026 records are incomplete and are not presented as a full-year total. Historical claims and recall figures retain their dates.
How many white goods fires are there in the UK each year?
1,697 primary fires in England in 2025/26 had one of these five ignition sources: tumble dryer, washing machine, fridge/freezer, dishwasher or combined washer/dryer. This is our sum of the official FIRE0602 categories. It is about 4.6 fires a day, compared with 1,791 in the revised 2024/25 data.
Electrical Safety First’s older 1,140 figure refers to a narrower 2023/24 analysis of accidental electrical fires with selected cause filters. It was based on government appliance data, not an unrestricted count of all primary fires. The two measures should not be used together to claim a rise or fall.
This page focuses on those appliance categories. Wiring, sockets and chargers are covered in our sister site’s electrical fire statistics. Our lithium-ion battery fire statistics address a separate set of products and risks.
Which white goods cause the most fires?
Tumble dryers had the largest count among the five selected FIRE0602 categories in England in 2025/26. They accounted for 746 of the combined 1,697 primary fires, about 44%. Washing machines accounted for 428.
Incident counts do not measure the probability of a particular appliance catching fire. To compare risk per appliance, the number in use, hours of use and other differences would also be needed. An ignition-source entry does not by itself prove a manufacturing defect.
| Appliance | Primary fires, England | Definition and period |
|---|---|---|
| Tumble dryers | 746 | FIRE0602 ignition source, 2025/26 |
| Dishwashers | 140 | FIRE0602 ignition source, 2025/26 |
| Washing machines | 428 | Combined washer/dryers counted separately |
| Fridges / freezers | 285 | FIRE0602 combined ignition category, 2025/26 |
These are primary-fire counts for England in 2025/26. Combined washer/dryers add a further 98 incidents to the four rows shown, bringing the selected-category total to 1,697.
What do the London figures show?
The current London Fire Brigade workbook contains 268 white-goods fire records for calendar 2025, including 92 involving washing machines. The three tumble-dryer subcategories total 91: 39 condensing, 38 standard and 14 heat-pump dryers. These figures supersede the older 258/86 totals.
The workbook gives 302 records in 2016, 360 in 2018 and 246 in 2024. Changes in counts do not by themselves establish improvements in product design or consumer behaviour. The London definition also includes spin dryers, which are outside the five-category England total used above.
| Year | White-goods fires attended (London) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 302 | Revised workbook count |
| 2018 | 360 | Highest annual count in this workbook |
| 2024 | 246 | Complete calendar year |
| 2025 | 268 | Complete calendar year; 92 washing-machine records |
The downloaded workbook includes partial 2026 records through August. Its landing-page coverage label is older than the file contents, so the year is taken from the records themselves; no full-year 2026 comparison is made.
Are heat-pump tumble dryers being recalled in 2025-26?
OPSS’s 14 April 2026 corrective-action programme identifies affected Haier-made heat-pump dryers sold under Baumatic, Candy, Caple, Haier, Hoover, Lamona, Iberna and Montpellier brands. The official page links to model-specific safety reports and the manufacturer’s checker.
The December 2025 update said 85,000 owners still needed repairs from an original programme covering 103,000 machines. These are dated programme figures, not a live estimate of unrepaired dryers. OPSS warns that an internal short circuit can cause a fire and says affected appliances must not be used until repaired.
Check the model and serial number against the official notice and contact the manufacturer if affected or unsure. A warning about particular models should not be described as a finding that every heat-pump dryer has the same defect.
What was the Whirlpool tumble dryer scandal?
The 2018 parliamentary inquiry linked the Whirlpool tumble-dryer defect to at least 750 fires since 2004. In its 2019 follow-up, the committee reported that up to 800,000 unmodified machines could still be in homes. Both are historical figures, not current estimates of fires or affected appliances.
OPSS’s final published progress update, covering 5 October 2021, reported 126,975 resolved cases: 84,537 replacements, 21,864 part exchanges, 6,394 refunds and 14,180 modifications. The figures were supplied by Whirlpool and were not independently verified by OPSS. Consumers should still check affected products against the recall.
| Measure | Figure | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Fires linked to the Whirlpool defect | 750+ | Since 2004 — BEIS Committee, UK Parliament |
| Defective machines still in homes at recall | Up to 800,000 | At the 2019 recall — BEIS Committee |
| Cases fully resolved | 126,975 | By October 2021 — GOV.UK progress update (84,537 replaced, 14,180 modified) |
| Heat-pump dryers under 2025 safety check | 85,000 | December 2025 status — OPSS (Haier brands); not a live remaining total |
How much damage do white goods fires cause?
Admiral supplied Electrical Safety First with a historical three-year claims analysis showing an average white-goods fire claim of £36,870 and a largest claim just below £290,000. Tumble dryers represented 51% of those claims and dishwashers 24%. These figures describe one insurer’s claims, not all UK appliance fires.
The cost of an individual fire depends on its extent, building and insured losses. The claims average does not show that every appliance fire destroys a kitchen or leaves occupants displaced for a particular period.
Did a white good start the Grenfell Tower fire?
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry found that the fire on 14 June 2017 began with an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer in the kitchen of Flat 16. The disaster killed 72 people. The Inquiry’s reports distinguish the initial fire from the building and organisational failures that allowed the catastrophe to develop.
That origin does not establish that all fridge-freezers share the same risk, or that the initial appliance alone explains the scale of the loss. The official Inquiry reports provide the findings on ignition and subsequent spread.
What do figures outside London and England-wide show?
Local and national appliance figures should be compared only when their definitions and periods match. A historical regional campaign percentage cannot establish which appliance is currently most fire-prone across Wales or the UK, particularly without information on how many appliances are in use.
England’s FIRE0602 table supplies the ignition-source counts used here. London publishes its own incident workbook. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland maintain separate national fire series; do not scale the English counts to produce a UK estimate.
What should I do if my appliance is recalled?
If your white good is subject to a recall or safety notice, follow the instructions in the specific official notice. Where a stop-use instruction applies: stop using it immediately, switch it off and unplug it at the socket where safe to do so, and do not use it again until the manufacturer has repaired or replaced it. Do not assume that a machine that “seems fine” is safe — the whole point of a recall is that the fault is intermittent and can appear during normal use.
To check whether your model is affected, find the make, model and serial number (usually on a rating plate on the door frame, the back, or inside the drum or lid) and enter them on the manufacturer’s recall-checker or the government product recalls database. Register new appliances when you buy them so the manufacturer has a way to contact you about safety action. And a working smoke alarm can provide earlier warning and time to escape; our companion page on smoke alarm statistics sets out the ownership and failure data.
For workplaces and landlords, appliance safety is part of the fire risk assessment and, for rented homes, of the electrical safety obligations the Responsible Person or landlord must meet — including keeping staff and tenants informed when a recall lands. Fire awareness training keeps appliance risk on people’s radar.
Frequently asked questions
Which white goods cause the most fires in the UK?
Among the five selected official England ignition categories in 2025/26, tumble dryers had the largest primary-fire count at 746, followed by washing machines at 428. Counts do not establish risk per appliance in use.
How many white goods fires happen in the UK each year?
The five categories used here total 1,697 primary fires in England in 2025/26. This is broader than Electrical Safety First’s historical 1,140 accidental electrical-fire figure for 2023/24, so the two are not a trend comparison.
Are heat-pump tumble dryers a fire risk in 2026?
Some Haier-made models are covered by an OPSS corrective-action programme published in April 2026. Check the official model-specific reports and manufacturer checker. Affected dryers must not be used until the required repair is complete.
What should I do if my appliance is recalled?
Follow the model-specific recall or safety notice. If it says stop using the appliance, do so and unplug it where safe. Contact the manufacturer using the official notice and do not resume use until the required safety action is complete.
Did a white good really start the Grenfell Tower fire?
The Inquiry found an electrical fault in a fridge-freezer in Flat 16 started the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. Its reports separately address the failures that caused the fire to spread and the loss of 72 lives.
Where do UK white goods fire statistics come from?
The latest England counts here are calculated from MHCLG FIRE0602. London counts come directly from the LFB workbook. OPSS supplies safety notices; the historical claims figures are Admiral data published by Electrical Safety First.
Related guides
- Lithium-ion Battery Fire Statistics UK: E-bikes, E-scooters & Storage
- Smoke Alarm Statistics UK: Ownership, Failures & Lives Saved
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Statistics UK: Deaths, Incidents & Alarms
- The Right Fire Extinguisher for an Electrical Fire
- How to Use a Fire Extinguisher: The PASS Method Explained
Sources & references
- MHCLG — FIRE0602 detailed ignition sources, 2025/26
- London Fire Brigade — White-goods incident workbook, downloaded 15 October 2026
- OPSS — Haier corrective-action programme, April 2026
- OPSS — December 2025 programme status
- OPSS — Final Whirlpool progress data, October 2021
- Electrical Safety First — Defined 2023/24 appliance analysis and Admiral claims figures
- UK Parliament — Historical Whirlpool fire findings, 2018
- UK Parliament — Whirlpool follow-up, 2019
- Grenfell Tower Inquiry — Phase 1 overview
White-goods fires remain a risk in England — get every employee fire aware in around 90 minutes.
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety awareness and accredited online training for Fire Safety Awareness Training, part of Online CPD Academy.