Haier Smart Home UK has rejected claims that a Hoover condenser tumble dryer linked to a fatal house fire presents an elevated safety risk, following a coroner’s call for a wider investigation into potentially similar appliances.

The case concerns the Hoover DX C10DCER-80, which was deemed “more likely than not” to have been the source of a fire in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, in June 2025. Sohaib Ahmed, 38, and his nine-year-old daughter, Manahal Nazir Ahmed, died following the incident.

Following an inquest, coroner Martin Fleming issued a prevention of future deaths report urging Haier UK to conduct a root-cause analysis and consider whether the model should be withdrawn from sale.

The coroner raised concerns that as many as 1.6 million Hoover and Candy-branded condenser and vented tumble dryers could share characteristics with the appliance involved. The precise cause of ignition could not be established, with potential electrical failures among the possibilities considered.

Haier UK said it had carried out extensive testing and reviews of the model and similar condenser dryers, finding no evidence of a systemic safety issue. The company also confirmed that production of the DX C10DCER-80 ended in early 2022 and said it did not consider stopping sales of the model or similar appliances appropriate.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) confirmed it had launched a regulatory investigation into Haier UK’s compliance with product safety regulations earlier this year.

The investigation highlights the importance of product safety monitoring, risk assessment and regulatory oversight across the domestic appliance industry, particularly where concerns could affect large numbers of products already in consumers’ homes.