Up to 500,000 fridge freezers could be posing serious fire risks in homes and businesses across the country, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has warned.
The LFB said a fire in the capital last week, which was originally thought to have been caused by a lightning strike, was caused by a Beko appliance.
Beko has been alerted to the problem which the LFB says has caused 20 fires and one death in London since 2008.
Fire chiefs are urging people to check if they own particular models manufactured between January 2000 and October 2006. A full list can be found via the trading standards website here
Anyone with concerns should contact Beko by calling their free phone number on 0800 009 4837 or visiting www.beko.co.uk
Steve Turek, assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, said: “Any fire can be lethal but the LFB is particularly concerned about this because fires involving any sort of fridge freezer develop rapidly and produce an enormous amount of toxic smoke.
“Having established this link, we have worked closely with Beko to ensure the public is kept safe.
“However, the brigade urges everyone who has a Beko fridge freezer to check it is not one of those highlighted by the company as potentially faulty.”