NAPAfire, FIREGEL Gel Fuel Recalled Following Injuries

Following a number of injuries, a massive recall of about 460,000 bottles and jugs of Pourable NAPAfire and FIREGEL Gel Fuel has been announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The recalled Pourable <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/product_liability">NAPAfire and FIREGEL Gel Fuel was distributed by Napa Home & Garden, of Duluth, Georgia and sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Shopko, Restoration Hardware, specialty and gift shops, furniture stores, and home and garden stores nationwide, as well as through Amazon.com, home and garden catalogs, and home decorators and landscape architects between December 2009 and June 2011 for between $5 and $78.

The pourable gel fuel can ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and objects nearby when it is poured into a firepot that is still burning. This hazard can occur if the consumer does not see the flame or is not aware that the firepot is still ignited. Fuel gel that splatters and ignites can pose fire and burn risks to consumers.

To date, Napa is aware of 37 reports of incidents, including 23 burn injuries to consumers.

The product is a clear, pourable gel fuel packaged in clear one-quart plastic bottles and one-gallon plastic jugs and sold in non-scented and citronella scents. The fuel is poured into a stainless steel cup in the center of firepots or other decorative lighting devices and ignited.

The CPSC is advising consumers to immediately stop using the pourable gel fuel in firepots and return all bottles or jugs to the retailer where the consumer purchased the fuel for a full refund. A retrofit for the Napa brand firepots is being evaluated and may be available in the near future. Napa Home & Garden can be reached, toll-free, at 1.888.893.2323 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday; at its website at http://www.napahomeandgarden.com/; or by mail to Napa, 3270 Summit Ridge Parkway, Suite 240, Duluth, Georgia 30096-1617.

We have been following an accident involving 14-year-old Michael Hubbard of Long Island, who remains in an induced coma at the Stony Brook University Medical Center following an accident with a gel candle. We just wrote that the candle maker issued a recall of the defective candle after a New York Times report on the dangers of gel candles was printed. Now, Consumer Reports writes that the CPSC just initiated an investigation into burn accidents linked to gel fuel use in firepots.

In its press release, the CPSC warned consumers about the types of burn and poisoning accidents associated with adding gel fuel to products such as firepots and tiki torches, wrote Consumer Reports. The investigation is ongoing and followed some burn accidents with fire pots that left people hospitalized with severe burns.

Last week, we wrote that The Times reported that Napa Home & Garden Inc., manufacturer of firepots and packager of the fuel, told Bed Bath & Beyond to pull both products from its shelves when it heard of two of the accidents. Napa Home & Garden Inc., intends to add revised warning labels on both products. A Bed Bath & Beyond spokesperson confirmed the recall, said The Times.