Pourable fuel gel has been recalled after numerous reports of people suffering severe, life-threatening burns when using the product for firepots and other decorative lighting devices.
Napafire and Firegel products “can ignite unexpectedly” when poured into firepots, the government said. The fuel gels have been likened to napalm because they can explode in a flash, then stick to clothing and keep burning even when a victim rolled on the ground or was covered with a blanket.
If you are a loved one suffered severe injury using Napafire or Firegel or other brands of fuel gel, you should contact a fuel gel attorney.
Kline & Specter, PC is a Philadelphia-based law firm with more than 35 attorneys, several of whom are also doctors, with the expertise and experience to litigate serious injury cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and nationwide.
In total, 460,000 bottles of fuel gel manufactured by Napa Home and Garden Inc. were recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. But other brands, such as one made by BirdBrain Inc., were also linked to serious burn injuries, including those to children in Maryland and Illinois who spent weeks hospitalized.
The CPSC said Napa Home and Garden had reports of at least 23 burn injuries. The most serious was to a boy who was reported in a coma in June 2011 following an incident involving fuel gel in New York, where legislation has been introduced to ban its sale.
The product is a form of ethanol, is clear and pourable, and sold in quart and gallon sizes and in either unscented or citronella scents. It can ignite when poured into a firepot that is still burning. In some cases, users don’t see the flame or realize the firepot is ignited.
The fuel gels are relatively new products, on the market since late 2009. They are sold, among other places, at Bed Bath & Beyond, Shopko, home and garden stores, furniture stores, specialty and gift shops, and through catalogues and Amazon.com.
The CPSC recommended that consumers stop using fuel gels immediately.
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