A 95-year-old woman has suffered smoke inhalation after being rescued from a fire in her Auburn home on Saturday afternoon. The blaze kindled in a Samsung washing machine in the woman's bathroom.
Firefighters from Lidcombe and Silverwater responded to a neighbour's call about a smoking unit on the corner of Perry Way and Mary Street at 2.10pm. Two concerned neighbours entered the unit to alert the elderly resident after hearing smoke alarms.
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'Safe' Samsung washing machine catches alight
A Glenhaven woman's washing machine burst into flames after Samsung mistakenly told her it was safe to use.
The 95-year-old resident was taken to hospital by ambulance along with one of the neighbours who came to her assistance, a 78-year-old woman. Both were treated for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly. Damage was confined to the unit's bathroom.
Superintendent Greg Rankin said Fire and Rescue NSW were working with Fair Trade to confirm whether the Samsung washing machine was one of the recalled top-loader models that have sparked a series of fires across the country. The damaged washing machine could not be immediately identified by firefighters.
Firefighters have responded to 51 fires started by six faulty top loader Samsung models since the machines were first recalled in 2013.
Some of those incidents were caused by machines already repaired by Samsung contractors.
NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello said Saturday's fire should serve as a "powerful reminder" to all consumers to check the model number of their Samsung top loader washing machines.
"The machines, of which more than 144,000 were sold nationally between 2010 and 2013, have been found to pose a fire risk," he said.
"I strongly urge consumers with machines subject to the recall to claim a replacement or refund from the supplier, which they are entitled to do under the Australian Consumer Law."
In April, fire authorities rejected a request from Samsung customers to launch a state coronial inquiry into Samsung's execution of the machines' recall, saying the number of incidents was declining and the recall response rate was greater than expected. The latest Samsung recall progress report, released in July 2016, shows 79 per cent of the 144,451 recalled machines across the country have been repaired, exchanged or refunded.
In July 2015 another home in Auburn was the site of a fire caused by a recalled Samsung washing machine. In January 2016 Fairfax Media revealed a blaze at an Only About Children childcare centre in Coogee was caused by a recalled Samsung washing machine that had not been repaired. Twenty-two adults and 78 children were evacuated.
Superintendent Greg Rankin advised anyone with a Samsung washing machine to check whether it is one of the recalled models.
"Also if a fire begins in your home, do not go back into the fire," he said. "Stay outside of the building and point emergency services on their way."
The elderly victim of the blaze has been released from Westmead Hospital.
A Samsung spokesperson declined to comment, saying they had not received any information on the incident. A Fair Trade NSW investigation into the machine model and cause of the fire is underway.
Samsung urges consumers who may be affected by the recall to visit samsung.com/au/washingmachinerecall or call 1800 239 655.
The following models are impacted:
SW75V9WIP/XSA
SW65V9WIP/XSA
SW70SPWIP/XSA
SW80SPWIP/XSA
WA85GWGIP/XSA
WA85GWWIP/XSA