Stop using Napa Firepots: Severe burn risk sparks recall

If you’re the owner of a Napa firepot, stop using it now. Last Wednesday, the company Napa Home & Garden issued a voluntary recall of 460,000 bottles and jugs of NAPAfire and FIREGEL pourable gel fuels, the fuels that are used in the decorative ceramic Napa firepots. The gel fuels have been available for purchase since 2009 at retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, Shopko, Restoration Hardware, and a variety of specialty and gift shops, furniture stores, and home and garden stores nationwide.

The recall was issued after at least 37 reported incidents indicated that the pourable gel fuel used in the firepots can ignite unexpectedly when it is poured into a firepot that is still burning, splattering onto nearby people and objects. One of the problems with the firepot is that when burning, the flame can burn with a very blue or even clear coloring and very little smoke, so that the user may not be able to tell that the firepot is still lit. When new gel fuel is poured into a lit firepot, an explosion-like reaction can occur. Of the 37 reported incidents, 23 consumers sustained burn injuries.

The recall follows a previous announcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that it had initiated an investigation into the gel fuels and their involvement in a number of serious burn incidents. In some of those incidents, consumers suffered third degree burns over 40% of their body when a firepot exploded while pouring the gel into the pot.

Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the gel fuel and to return all purchased bottles or jugs of it to the store where they purchased it for a refund. Consumers should not dispose of the product themselves as it is flammable and could cause serious accident or injury.