Senior Partner
Fire pits have become a popular addition to many homes, offering warmth and ambiance for outdoor and indoor gatherings. However, not all fire pits are created equal, and some can pose significant dangers. Recently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urged consumers not to use alcohol or other liquid-burning fire pits due to their association with severe injuries and fatalities.
What Makes Alcohol Fire Pits Dangerous?
Alcohol fire pits, often marketed as tabletop fire pits, fire pots, miniature fireplaces, or portable fires, require users to pour isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol or other liquid fuel into an open container and ignite it. This process violates the voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19, which aims to prevent pool fires and flame jetting.
- Pool Fires: When alcohol or other liquid fuel is ignited in an open container, it creates an uncontrollable pool fire. The flames can suddenly become larger and hotter, spreading beyond the fire pit and posing a risk to anyone nearby.
- Flame Jetting: This phenomenon occurs when refilling an alcohol-burning fire pit while a flame is still present. It can be difficult to see that a flame is still lit because alcohol-burning flames are translucent. The flame can travel up the stream of liquid fuel, causing an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid onto the user or bystanders.
Injuries Caused by Alcohol Fire Pits
Since 2019, alcohol fire pits have been linked to at least two deaths and over 60 injuries. These incidents highlight the severe risks associated with these products. For example, a consumer may mistakenly believe the flame has been extinguished and attempt to refill the fire pit, only to trigger a flame jetting incident.
Regulation and Safety Alerts About Alcohol Fire Pits
In response to these dangers, the CPSC has urged consumers to stop using and dispose of alcohol or other liquid-burning fire pits immediately. Retailers are also advised to cease selling these hazardous products.
Health Canada has issued similar warnings, advising against using rubbing alcohol as fuel for fire pits and highlighting the absence of safety devices like flame arrestors in many of these products. Australia went a step further by banning tabletop ethanol or alcohol-fueled decorative burners in 2017 after numerous injuries and fire incidents.
I Purchased My Fire Pit on Amazon. Is Amazon Responsible for My Injuries?
Depending on the circumstances of your purchase and where your injuries occurred, Amazon may be responsible for damages. In Washington State, product sellers are typically only liable when the manufacturers of the product cannot or will not pay your damages. This is frequently the case because many products are manufactured overseas and branded by companies with little or no insurance or assets to compensate you when something terrible happens.
Where Can I Bring My Case for Injuries from an Alcohol Fire Pit?
If your claim is against Amazon—as opposed to another retailer, you can usually bring a lawsuit where your injury occurred or where Amazon is based, in Seattle, Washington. It is important to carefully consider where to bring your case before filing a lawsuit. An attorney should help you with that decision.
What Kind of Attorney Do I Need for Injuries from an Alcohol Fire Pit?
You will want an attorney that focuses on products liability and product defects. This is highly specialized field of both law and science. Cases against Amazon also involve particularly specialized fields of law. Amazon argues it is not responsible for your injuries because it is not a “product seller.”
Stritmatter Law Partner Andrew Ackley specializes in products liability cases and is a published author on Amazon’s liability for dangerous products.