Tumble dryer 'likely cause' of fatal fire - inquest

A house fire that claimed the lives of a father and his nine-year-old daughter was most likely to have started in a tumble dryer, an inquest has heard.

Sohaib Ahmed, 38, and Manahal Nazir Ahmed died after the blaze broke out in their home in Russell Close, Heckmondwike, on 8 June last year.

Bradford Coroner's Court heard Ahmed's other daughter was seriously injured, while their mother was in Saudi Arabia on the Hajj pilgrimage when the fire broke out.

Giving evidence, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service fire investigation officer David Burland said burn patterns found in the kitchen indicated the fire originated in a tumble dryer.

He said firefighters arrived at about 06:10 BST to find "copious amounts of thick, black smoke" throughout the property.

Ahmed and his elder daughter were found unconscious downstairs, while Manahal was discovered on the floor of her upstairs bedroom.

All three were not breathing when they were rescued, the inquest heard.

Despite attempts to revive him, Ahmed was pronounced dead at the scene.

His daughters were taken to hospital, but Manahal later died from a brain injury, cardiac arrest and the inhalation of fire gases.

Burland said investigators traced the fire to a corner of the kitchen where a tumble dryer had been located.

Although two smoke alarms were installed in the property, neither was working, he said.

The inquest heard it was unclear whether the tumble dryer was operating at the time of the fire.

It was found severely damaged, with burning evident inside the appliance and among clothes contained within it.

Investigators also found several nearby electrical items, including a fridge-freezer and a thermostat connected to a four-way extension lead, as well as a lithium battery.

Referring to photographs taken at the scene, Burland said a distinctive V-shaped burn pattern rose from the area of the tumble dryer and pointed to it as the "likely source of the fire".

However, Michael Jones, an independent expert instructed on behalf of tumble dryer manufacturer Haier Smart Home Ltd, said alternative sources could not be ruled out.

He told the hearing the V-shaped pattern did not show where the fire started, but rather "defines the area where the fire developed".

He added: "The problem with that is you don't give consideration to other possibilities and everything you look at tends to support your original hypothesis."

Asked by coroner Martin Fleming whether he could identify a probable cause, Jones replied: "Unfortunately not."

The inquest continues.

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