Warning over fire risks of fridges and freezers

FIRE officials have called for tougher safety standards for modern fridges and freezers after finding they are the most dangerous household appliance when involved in a blaze.

An investigation found fridges and freezers were particularly hazardous because they contain large amounts of plastic and highly flammable insulation, which can cause large fires that spread quickly and create highly toxic gases.

According to the findings by the London Fire Brigade (LFB), fridges and freezers built in recent years contain more plastic than older models, but the highly flammable insulation is not separated from the parts of the appliance where a fire can start.

A comparison between the UK and the US, where safety standards are more stringent, found that people in the UK involved in such a fire were more likely to be injured.

Figures for the UK suggested that one in every five fires involving fridges or freezers resulted in someone being injured, compared with one injury for every 25 fires in the United States.

There is an average of 336 fires involving fridges or freezers in the UK each year, injuring 69 people.

The report into blazes started by electricity or in electrical app­liances follows a fire in Neasden, north London, last year that began behind a chest freezer and resulted in the deaths of six people.