Heartbreak as tumble dryer fire kills beloved family dogs in Lincoln

A North Hykeham resident has been left devastated after his tumble dryer caught fire, killing his three beloved family dogs.

Shaun Williamson had received a letter in February stating that an electrical fault had been identified with his Indesit tumble dryer model and that until a replacement could be arranged he should turn off the appliance if left unattended.

Max, Mia and Riley were sadly lost in the fire.

He told The Lincolnite that although the dryer had been switched off before he left the house on Saturday, April 16 he received a call at 4pm warning him of smoke coming from his property.

He said: “The fire brigade were alerted and I rushed home. I’d arrived a few minutes before the firefighters and there was smoke coming out of the back room.

“The dogs were in the utility room where the dryer is and it was tightly sealed so there was smoke everywhere. I rushed in and dragged two of them outside but I couldn’t find the third which was lost.”

Shaun, 28, and his partner had had the two Japanese Akitas and one German Shepherd Max, Mia and Riley for seven years and says he’s been left with a “broken heart”.

“I had used the dryer in the morning and left clothes in it, but I turned it off before I left just as I have for the last seven years.

“I have lost all of my babies, please don’t leave anything in your dryer unattended.”

“I do hold the manufacturers responsible for my loss. It was a known fault and we called straight away to book an appointment for a fix and they said they couldn’t come until January.”

Shaun explained that the company have been contacted following the incident and they are currently investigating.

He warned: “Anyone that has a Hotpoint, Indesit or Creda tumble dryer, get rid of it. This could have been a child.”

The dryer after the fire on Saturday.

Hotpoint have been contacted by The Lincolnite for a comment but have not responded at the time of publishing.

A range of tumble dryers were identified as being faulty last year, with hundreds of fires being reported across the country as a result.

The manufacturer revealed that more than 100 of its Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda models sold would cause fires if fluff came into contact with the heating element.

Some 3.8 million customers are said to have been contacted about the fault.

For more information on the models affected, read the safety notice here.