A Victorian couple says their home was destroyed after a Sony television allegedly caught fire, with the blaze also claiming the lives of their two beloved family dogs.
Andrew and Denise Margaret Fyfe-Wright are now suing the Japanese electronics manufacturer for more than $1.6 million in damages.
However, the family says no financial settlement could ease the grief of losing their cherished Cavoodles, Gus and Poppy.
The tragedy unfolded at about 3pm on October 10, 2023, at the couple’s home on Cornelius Crescent in Healesville, north-east of Melbourne.
Court documents filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria allege the fire began in the lounge room and was linked to a 55-inch Sony XR55X90J television. The couple had purchased the set from JB Hi-Fi for $1,995 in June 2021.
The fire destroyed the house and all of its contents, leaving the family with little more than the clothes they were wearing.
Six Country Fire Authority brigades fought desperately to bring the blaze under control, but the home could not be saved.
A CFA spokesman said at the time that investigators had identified an electrical fault in a flat-screen television positioned on the southern wall of the lounge room as the cause of the fire.
Andrew and Denise Margaret Fyfe-Wright are seeking more than $1.6 million in damages from the electronics giant
Firefighters battled to save the property, but the house was gutted
Gus and Poppy died in the devastating fire allegedly linked to a Sony television
After the disaster, the Healesville community rallied behind the family, raising more than $17,000 to help them begin rebuilding their lives.
In a GoFundMe campaign launched at the time, the couple’s daughter Stephanie described the devastating impact of the fire.
‘We were forced to stand by and watch our heart break in front of us,’ she wrote. ‘My parents and sibling left with only the clothes on their backs.
‘The heart-wrenching feelings of devastation as we watched our lives change before us forever. There are truly no words to describe what our family is going through.
‘We are incredibly grateful that we have each other and no one was hurt.’
She said the deaths of Gus and Poppy had made the loss especially painful for everyone.
‘We are devastatingly heartbroken to have lost two incredibly special pillars of our family in Gus and Poppy. Our beautiful fur babies didn’t deserve this,’ she wrote.
‘The physical items that can be replaced, the irreplaceable items that can’t. The years of hard work crumbling in front of us.’
Stephanie’s brother Tom was also living at the property and lost all of his possessions in the fire. Her other brother, James, had been staying there part-time.
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Nothing was able to be salvaged from the house, which Stephanie said her parents had put their ‘heart and soul’ into since making a tree change and moving to the area about six years before the blaze.
Andrew and Denise Margaret Fyfe-Wright had created a dream home
The couple’s dream home was destroyed in the fire, with their two dogs inside
The couple allege the blaze was caused by their 55-inch Sony XR55X90J television (pictured)
‘Everyone was always welcome there – they’ve held a wedding there, they housed friends, people in need, birthday parties, Christmas parties, everything,’ she said.
‘They’re the most beautiful people.’
After a protracted dispute with Sony, the matter is now set for a Supreme Court trial.
Three years later, the couple are still living in temporary accommodation while they assess the full cost of rebuilding their lives.
Their claimed losses include an estimated $1.37million to rebuild the home, $110,550 for destroyed domestic contents, and $95,000 (and rising) for alternative accommodation.
The loss of their two family dogs is listed as ‘TBA’.
The Fyfe-Wrights allege the television had a safety defect under Australian Consumer Law.
Documents claim the television was not of acceptable quality, not free from defects, and not safe for ordinary household use.
Nothing was left after fire ripped through the home
The property had sweeping views in all directions
The statement of claim asserted the TV ‘can start or cause a fire’ and that it did exactly that.
They further claimed Sony, as manufacturer, breached consumer guarantees that the product would be fit for purpose and free from safety defects.
Sony Australia, which is yet to file a defence, did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
The Fyfe-Wrights’ legal team, Hall & Wilcox, also declined to comment.
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