Lawsuits are being filed by people who were burned by tabletop fire pits that burn alcohol, ethanol, or liquid fuels.

Need a Texas Tabletop Fire Pit Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you were burned by a tabletop fire pit, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.

Tabletop Fire Pits Are “Extremely Dangerous”

Tabletop fire pits that burn liquid alcohol are “extremely dangerous,” according to safety officials. The problem is not limited to one product — it applies to the entire product category of fire pits, mini fireplaces, pots and bowls that burn liquid fuels like isopropyl alcohol and ethanol.

Small fire pits are also advertised as “marshmallow roasters” or “S’mores makers.” These products are NOT for children, due to the risk of life-threatening burn injuries if an accident were to occur.

Stop Using Alcohol or Other Liquid Fuel-Burning Fire Pits

Tabletop fire pits have been linked to 2 deaths and at least 60 burn injuries since 2019, which is why safety officials are urgently warning: Stop Using Alcohol or Other Liquid-Burning Fire Pits. These fire pits are “extremely dangerous” due to the risk of severe burn injuries and death.

What is the Problem?

Tabletop Fire Pits are designed with an open container (like a bowl) that is filled with a pool of liquid alcohol or other fuel and lit on fire.

There are many serious safety hazards involved with this design, which is why it violates the voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19 for unvented gel / liquid fuel-burning portable devices.

For example, some of the safety hazards include:

  • Igniting a pool of alcohol or other liquid fuel in a fire pit’s open container creates an uncontrollable pool fire, which can suddenly produce larger, hotter flames that can spread beyond the fire pit product.
  • Flame jetting, a second hazard, can occur when refilling alcohol or other liquid-burning fire pits if any flame is present. A small flame in the fire pit can be hard to see and can ignite alcohol or other liquid fuel as it is poured, causing an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid onto the consumer or bystanders.
  • Alcohol can also splash, spill or leak out of the fire pit reservoir during use, causing a flash fire that can spread and create larger hotter flames, that can escape the unit.
  • Use of the recalled fire pits can lead to injury quickly and unexpectedly, causing burns in less than one second, that can be serious and deadly.

What is Flame Jetting?

Flame jetting is a safety hazard that can occur when refilling a fire pit if any flame is present. A flame in a fire pit can be invisible or hard to see. As a person pours liquid alcohol or ethanol out of the container, the flame in the fire pit can suddenly ignite the fuel being poured out.

Pouring fuel over an open flame can spark an explosive “flash fire” that shoots out a fireball and burning droplets of liquid fuel like a flame-thrower. These flames are extremely hot (over 1,600ºF) and can travel surprisingly far distances, causing burn injuries to bystanders. Here is a dramatic video.

Colsen Fire Pit Lawsuits for Burn Injuries

People with severe burn injuries have filed fire pit lawsuits against Colsen, a Miami-based manufacturer that is no longer in business after recalling over 89,500 Colsen Tabletop Fire Pits in October 2024 after people were burned.

What Happened?

One of the victims was Kayla H., a young woman who was burned over more than 40% of her body in a “flame-jetting” accident when her husband tried to add more fuel to a Colsen Tabletop Fire Pit.

They were using the fire pit while entertaining friends one night. When the fire seemed to go out, she asked her husband to re-light it. She said: “He went to pour the liquid in. As soon as that liquid was in the fire pit, it just was kind of like a fire ball, kind of an explosion.”

Where Have Lawsuits Been Filed?

Colsen is facing federal lawsuits from burn victims in Florida and Texas. Another lawsuit was filed by a couple from Lexington, Kentucky who were severely burned by a fire pit.

Colsen Fire Pit Class Action Lawsuit

Colsen has also been hit by a class action lawsuit that was filed on October 28, 2024 in North Carolina federal court. The lawsuit was filed by Shaneka Barnhart, a woman who bought a Colsen fire pit from Walmart just before the recall. She claims that Colsen misled consumers by failing to warn them about the burn risk.

Colsen Tabletop Fire Pit Recall

On October 17, 2024, Colsen Fire Pits LLC announced a recall for about 89,500 Colsen Fire Pits due to the risk of severe burn injuries. There wer 31 reports of flame jetting and flames escaping from the concrete container; resulting in 19 burn injuries. Two incidents resulted in 3rd-degree burns to more than 40% of victims’ bodies, and at least six incidents have involved major complications.

FLICKRFIRE Tabletop Fireplaces Linked to 2 Deaths

In December 2024, safety officials warned people to stop using FLICKRFIRE Tabletop Fireplaces after 2 deaths and other serious burn injuries were reported.

According to the recall: “Flame jetting contributed to the June 2024 death of an elderly couple who were seriously burned when a third person attempted to refill a FLIKRFIRE that appeared to be extinguished.” Three other incidents also resulted in 3rd- or 4th-degree burns to “extensive areas of consumers’ bodies.”

FLICKRFIRE is no longer in business, but the company sold Tabletop Fireplaces from 2018 through 2024 on many websites online, including Amazon.com and many others. No refund is being provided.

Why Are Tabletop Fire Pits So Dangerous?

Isopropyl alcohol burns with flame temperatures over 1,600ºF. This is hot enough to cause 3rd-degree burns within less than one second.

Lighting a pool of liquid alcohol in a fire pit creates an uncontrollable pool fire, which is dangerous because:

  • Pooled-alcohol fire pits can produce larger and hotter flames.
  • These flames can spread out of the fire pit, or shatter the container and spill out
  • The pool of liquid fuel can also spill if the bowl is accidentally tipped over.
  • Easy to accidentally spill fuel when trying to fill up the container, which can ignite unexpectedly

How Do You Extinguish Tabletop Fire Pits?

You may be unable to extinguish a fire involving a pool of liquid alcohol until all of the fuel has burned off. This is why some tabletop fire pits are sold with Class B fire extinguishers that smother the fire by shooting out a layer of foam that spreads over the surface of the pool.

Who Sells Tabletop Fire Pits?

Tabletop fire pits have been sold on Amazon.com, Walmart, and other stores under many brand-names, including (but not limited to):

  • Amazon.com sellers (many based in China)
  • Brookstone
  • Colsen
  • Cuisinart
  • Danya B
  • East Flame
  • Flammtal
  • FLICKRFIRE
  • Housewise
  • Kizzby
  • Lovinflame
  • Moda Flame
  • Northwest
  • Pure Garden
  • Roundfire
  • Rozato
  • Sharper Image
  • Solo Stove
  • Skypatio Tornado Flame
  • TerraFlame
  • Vesper
  • And more

Real Flame Recalls Pourable Gel Fuel

In September 2011, about 100,000 bottles of Real Flame Pourable Gel Fuel were recalled because they can ignite unexpectedly, causing flash fires and serious burn injuries. No injuries were reported, but the gel fuel was intended to be poured into a steel cup in the middle of a decorative fire pit and then ignited.

According to the recall warning: “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. Gel fuel that splatters and ignites can pose fire and burn risks to consumers that can be fatal.”

Need a Tabletop Fire Pit Lawyer in Texas?

Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.

Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”

The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years of experience, participation in over 600 jury trials, and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.

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Collen A. Clark

Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.

“Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”

To contact Collen, please fill out the contact form below:

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