Media reports suggest that Samsung’s vice-president of engineering is on his way to New Zealand after a washing machine subject to a recall notice reportedly went up in flames in Auckland.
Samsung issued a recall notice for six of its top loader washing machines on Tuesday due to fears they were a fire hazard.
Samsung is reportedly now reissuing the notice after reports of a washing machine catching fire at Leeanne Williams’ home in Grey Lynn on Friday.
Ms Williams told New Zealand’s 3 News she was inside her house with her six children when she heard them screaming and saying the machine was on fire.
“Initially I was going `oh my God, what am I going to do!” said Ms Williams, “I grabbed the garden hose and put it on the flames but they just kept getting bigger.”
Samsung is investigating the fire but we do advise anyone not to use water to put out an electrical fire as you can risk electrocution by doing so, it can be extremely dangerous to do this.
An estimated 36,000 of the affected Samsung washing machines have been sold in the past three years in the region.
The models in the updated recall are SW75V9WIP/XSA, SW65V9WIP/XSA, SW70SPWIP/XSA and SW80SPWIP/XSA.
Owners of the affected washing machines are advised to contact Samsung’s product safety email, productrework.senz@samsung.com, to arrange for an appointment with a Samsung technician. They need to provide their name, address, contact number, model number and serial number where possible.
Samsung recommends customers only use their affected washing machines if they are present or nearby to monitor them. In other words, don’t use it unattended!
