The household appliances that could spark a deadly fire: As coroner calls for tumble dryer sales ban, experts reveal the biggest risks in your home

From  cosy electric blankets to the innocent-looking vacuum cleaners, common household appliances could spark deadly fires, experts have warned. 

This week, a senior coroner warned that there are more than 1.6million tumble dryers in UK homes that have potentially fatal defects, and called for an urgent ban on sales.

That decision came after a faulty dryer triggered a fire that led to the deaths of Sohaib Ahmed, 38, and his daughter Manahal Ahmed.

However, experts warn that dryers are not the most dangerous appliance in your home.

Data for England collected by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows that electrical appliances were involved in a staggering 12,286 fires during 2025.

Topping the list as the most fire-prone are electric cookers and ovens, which were linked to 130,862 fires between 2010 and 2026.

That includes a staggering 6,397 last year alone, of which 904 are recorded as having caused a fatality or casualty.

Meanwhile, hot plates come in at a distant second, having been involved in 26,016 fires in the last 16 years and 1,166 blazes last year.

According to experts at Electrical Safety First, the overwhelming cause of electrical fires in the home is misuse.

This covers a wide range of potential scenarios, ranging from failing to empty the lint trap on the tumble dryer to overloading an extension cable with power-hungry white goods.

For this reason, the charity notes that it cannot prove that some appliances directly cause house fires or are inherently dangerous in themselves, only that some are 'involved' in more fires than others.

Misuse of electric home appliances has caused two-thirds of all fires in England over the past two years, while a further 23 per cent were linked to faulty equipment.

However, the data shows that the vast majority of these incidents occur in the kitchen, making mishaps while cooking a likely cause.

Between 2010 and 2016, cookers were involved in more than half of all fires caused by appliances.

Hot plates accounted for a further 10 per cent of all incidents, while grills and microwave ovens added another 9.7 per cent and six per cent, respectively.

That means these four categories of kitchen appliances account for a staggering 80 per cent of all appliance-related fires, leading to 9,272 fires last year alone.

But the kitchen isn't the only place where your electrical appliances could put your home at risk.

Outside of the kitchen, the tumble dryer is the most fire-prone appliance, making up three per cent of all blazes in the last 16 years, for a total of 10,272 incidents.

For comparison, that is more than twice as many fires than have been related to deep fat fryers and over than five times more than have been linked to electric barbeques.

This comes after the revelation that a fatal house fire that killed a father and his nine-year-old daughter was linked to a faulty Hoover tumble dryer found in 1.6 million homes.

During the inquest, it was found 'more likely than not' that the source of the fire in the kitchen was a DX C10DCER-80 Hoover condenser tumble dryer.

However, the specific mechanism and circumstances of the ignition within the dryer remain undetermined and unclear.

Senior Coroner Martin Fleming said in a Prevention of Future Deaths report: '[The case] raises concerns that unless the model (DX C10DCER-80 Hoover branded condenser tumble dryer) and any wider product safety implications are further examined, circumstances creating a risk of future deaths may continue.

'It is my understanding that the Office for Product & Safety Standards (OPSS) has received a significant number of product fire notifications from the fire services across the UK involving this model.'

Other common sources of domestic fires include washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, battery chargers and electric blankets.

However, even seemingly safe devices can become potential fire hazards.

For example, in 2025 there were 15 fires linked to audio equipment, while 2024 saw three fires linked to DVD players, one of which caused a fatality or casualty.

Luckily, the majority of these fires are still linked to misuse, which means you can take steps to reduce your risk.

Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, says: 'Fire safety doesn’t have to involve big changes or complicated rules. Some of the most effective protection comes from small habits you can easily incorporate into your daily routine.

'One of the easiest ways to do this is through "habit stacking", linking your fire safety checks to things you already do at night. For example, when you lock the front door, check that the hob is off, or while the kettle is boiling, unplug any unused appliances.'