Fire Safety on Use of ‘Fuel Gel’ Products & ‘Fire Pots’

Summer has just begun and we all have the backyard BBQ grills fired up and we all know the common sense rules to being Fire Safe when doing such activities. If a review of BBQ Grill Fire Safety is needed, please visit the blog post “Fire Up The Barbecue! Be Fire Safe In Doing So!”

The same Fire Safety practices apply to those extra decorative items that are places around the backyard and used during the outdoor fun when using fire pots and torches. These pots and torches are used as decorations in place of candles or other type torch lighting.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced, this week, a voluntary recall & warning for pourable NAPAfire and FIREGEL Gel Fuel bottles and jugs produced & made by the Napa Home & Garden, of Duluth, Georgia.

About 460,000 bottles and jugs of gel fuel are being recalled. They were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Restoration Hardware, and other home and garden stores between December 2009 and June 2011.

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,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission said, “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.”

The fuel is intended to be poured into a metal cup which is then inserted into a ceramic “fire pot.” The fuel gel is then ignited and burns openly as a torch without a wick.

The alcohol base of the fuel gel by nature makes the product very volatile and comes with prominent safety warnings on the label. The thick consistency of the gel makes it stick to most surfaces including human skin and clothing.

Failure to closely follow all of the safety warnings can have and has had disastrous results including serious burn injuries and fire damage.

Use extreme caution when using any fuel gel burning device or product, and offers the following safety tips:

 Read the instructions carefully before utilizing the product or device

 DO NOT over fill the unit with fuel

 DO NOT add fuel to any lit flame or fire

 Use a sniffer to extinguish the flame – DO NOT attempt to blow out the fire

 In case of an emergency, DO NOT attempt to extinguish the fire with water

 DO NOT allow children to add or ignite the fuel at any time

 In well‐lit areas, the flames produced by burning fuel gel may be hard to detect – keep devices away from all combustibles or anything that may catch on fire. A minimum of a three‐foot radius is suggested

 Keep devices away from children and pets

 Place devices in a safe location to prevent accidental contact or exposure to skin or clothing

 NEVER leave a burning device unattended

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about firepots following two burn accidents in New York. Both victims, a teenager and a man in his 20s, suffered serious injuries.

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For additional information, call Napa Home & Garden at (888) 893-2323 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, visit Napa’s website at http://www.napahomeandgarden.com/ or write to Napa, 3270 Summit Ridge Parkway, Suite 240, Duluth, GA 30096-1617

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on www.saferproducts.gov

CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)