Fuel for decorative firepots recalled

If you are using pourable gel fuel for decorative firepots, stop and check to see if the fuel has been recalled.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the pourable gel fuel, which is manufactured by Napa Home and Garden Inc. of Georgia, can ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and objects nearby when it is poured into a firepot that is still burning.

The commission announced a recall of the fuel Wednesday, and the manufacturer no longer is allowed to sell it.

So far, the manufacturer is aware of 37 reports of incidents with the fuel, including 23 burn injuries to consumers, the commission said in a news release.

The manufacturer has been sued by people who said they were badly burned while using the product.

Rachael and Ken Smilowitz of West Ashley told The Post and Courier that a Napa firepot exploded into a fireball when Ken Smilowitz tried to light the jelly-like fuel on the porch of their home.

Rachael Smilowitz, 33, a mother of two, said the flames engulfed her legs and left her with second- and third-degree burns. Her husband was burned trying to put out the flames, according to their lawsuit.

A Florida couple has filed a similar lawsuit. Both suits allege negligence and target Napa Home and Garden, as well as companies that supplied the fuel and packaging, according to attorneys from Motley Rice, which represents both couples.

The stores where the firepots were sold are also named in the suits.

The product being recalled is the pourable NAPAfire and FIREGEL Gel Fuel bottles and jugs, the commission said.

The product has been sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Shopko, Restoration Hardware, specialty and gift shops, furniture stores and home and garden stores nationwide, as well as through Amazon.com, home and garden catalogs and home decorators and landscape architects.

The product was sold between December 2009 and June 2011 for between $5 and $78.

The product is a clear, pourable gel fuel packaged in clear, 1-quart plastic bottles and 1-gallon plastic jugs and sold in non-scented and citronella scents. The fuel is poured into a stainless steel cup in the center of firepots or other decorative lighting devices, then ignited.

Consumers should immediately stop using the pourable gel fuel in firepots and return all bottles or jugs to the retailer where the consumer purchased the fuel for a full refund. A retrofit for the Napa brand firepots is being evaluated and may be available in the near future.