A man died trying to save his children from a fire in their home caused by a faulty fridge that had a history of problems, an inquest has heard.

Santosh Benjamin Muthiah, 36, helped his wife pass their baby daughter into the arms of a neighbour, but perished as smoke filled their house in Wealdstone, north London.

Jennifer Benjamin, a paediatrician who was on maternity leave, was left in a coma for two weeks after the blaze in November 2010 but survived, along with the couple's three-year-old daughter and their three-month-old baby.

Barnet Coroner's Court heard that the fire was caused by a faulty Beko fridge freezer, which the company knew had defects.

Investigators discovered the fire was caused by a fault with the unit's defrost timer mechanism, the inquest heard.

The court heard that Beko, one of Europe's largest white goods brands, had been aware of a problem with components as far back as 2003 but failed to rectify it.

London Fire Brigade had also written to the company after a number of fires on similar models. But the product was only recalled after the death of Mr Muthiah, who was known as Mr Benjamin, the court was told.

The inquest heard that the couple had discovered a problem with their fridge just days before the fire, but Dr Benjamin did not have time to call Beko because she was so busy with their baby.

Investigators found the fridge's manual open at the page with phone numbers to contact the manufacturers.

In a statement read to the inquest, Dr Benjamin said: "Since Santosh's death I am aware that Beko issued a voluntary recall of the relevant fridge-freezer models.

"I confirm that had I received notice of this recall I am adamant that I would have acted immediately and contacted the manufacturer for guidance."

She added: "Just prior to November 11 2010 our Beko fridge-freezer had been playing up a bit. I did not think it was anything serious.

"The freezer was meant to be frost-free, but the back panel was icing up and the defrost panel was not running.

"I had got the appliance manual out ready to call up to ask about it but did not get round to it because I was at home on maternity leave and busy with my new baby.

"As food was not spoiling I did not think that the frost issue was an important or urgent issue. The fire occurred just before I was able to contact Beko."

She added that they did have smoke alarms, but they had not worked for a number of years.

The court heard that Mr Muthiah, a software engineer for Microsoft who was born in India, went to bed with his family at around 10pm on November 10 2010, all sleeping in the same room of their home in Grant Road.

At around 4.15am Dr Benjamin woke up coughing and went out to the landing, only to find flames downstairs and thick smoke.

She ran back to the bedroom, opened the window and screamed for help, before deciding to pass their children out to waiting neighbours, and for Mr Muthiah to go out next and help her down.

But after their baby was handed to neighbour Yacoub Al-Mansour, Mr Muthiah struggled to get out, and instead ran back into the house to find another exit.

Firefighters later found him slumped next to a sink in the bathroom after being overcome by smoke, and Dr Benjamin unconscious on the bed.

Paramedics fought to save Mr Muthiah after he had a heart attack at the scene and another later at an accident and emergency ward, but he died two days later in Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was smoke inhalation.

Dr Benjamin was left in a coma for 13 days.

The couple's second daughter, three-year-old Anna, was found by neighbour Pushpa Vekaria, who ran across a flat roof adjoining the houses to rescue the crying girl after she was woken by shouting and screaming.

Ms Vekaria told the inquest: "She was on the roof below the window which was open with smoke coming out, dressed in nightwear and socks.

"I shouted inside to see if anyone could hear me. There was no response so I carried Anna back to my house."