Arizona Burn Injury Attorney / Arizona FireGel Injury Lawyer
“The design of these products mean we have napalm for sale in the garden aisle.” That is what Representative Bishop of Suffolk County, NY said at a recent press conference held in response to recent tragedies involving gel-fueled firepots. New York legislator Ed Romaine plans to introduce a bill called “Michael’s Law”, named for Michael, a 14-year-old boy in Riverhead, NY. Michael was badly burned this April and is still in critical condition after a gel-fueled firepot, made by Napa Home and Garden, exploded in his face as he tried to refill it. His mother, who also suffered burns to her hands from her attempt to put out the flames, has kept a constant vigil at her son’s hospital bedside. Michael is not the first person to be badly burned by gel-fueled products; several others have received second and third degree burns. The explosions of these products occur mostly due to the fact that when the gel in these ceramic pots are burning, it burns a light blue color or white so, it is difficult to discern whether the gel has been ignited. If more fuel is added to the already lit pot, the result is a spray of fire and burning fuel that is not easily extinguished by traditional methods. This chain of events is serious and deadly. In an earlier incident in Omaha, a 9-year-old girl received severe burns to her legs when a fire pot exploded in her backyard. The young girl’s father is quoted as saying “Everything the gel hit was on fire, their clothes, their skin. I began to roll Holly and was trying to extinguish her flames on her body and her clothes with my hands and finally grabbed a pillow to extinguish them as well”.
Firepots, which are typically used in backyards and patios as ornamental lighting for outdoor gatherings, have been described as “molotov cocktails”, in addition to being labeled by lawmakers as “napalm”. The recipe for these dreadfully dangerous decorations includes 90% ethyl alcohol making it an extremely unstable, highly flammable liquid. While most of the reported injuries have been due to burns, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned of the risks of ingestion in a statement released about their recently launched investigation in early June of this year. They stated, “This class of chemicals is particularly hazardous if ingested and aspirated into the lungs, where it can cause chemical pneumonia, pulmonary edema, or death. Illuminating fuels should never be transferred to other containers, as young children may mistake the new container with containers of common drink items.”
Some products have been recalled, some companies have voluntarily pulled products, and some, banned from stores, such as, Bed Bath & Beyond, but many of these products are still on the shelves.
Gel Fueled or Liquid Fueled Products:
(This is a list of products that contain gel fuel, the list below is not a list of recalled products nor have all of these products been reported in accidents.)
- NapaFire Eco Gel Fuel
- NapaFire Citronella Eco Gel Fuel
- BirdBrain Pour Gel Fuel
- BirdBrian FirePot Fuel Gel
- BirdBrain FirePot Fuel Gel Clear
- BirdBrain FirePot Fuel Gel Citronella
- BirdBrian FirePot Bio Fuel Gel
- SunJel Pour Gel Fuel IPA
- SunJel Eucalyptus Fuel Gel and Insect Repellent
- SunJel Citron Fuel Gel IPA Refill
- SunJel Citronella Fuel Gel IPA Canister
- WindFlame Ozo Bio-Ethanol Fuel Gel
- WindFlame Ozo Bio-Ethanol Fuel Gel for Fire Pots
- Real Flame Original Fuel Gel for Fireplaces
- Real Flame Citronella Pour Gel Fuel
- Real Flame Fuel Gel Junior Cans
- PatioGlo Citronella Fuel Gel
- PatioGlo Fuel Gel
If you have any of the above listed products or similar products in your home it is important that you discontinue use immediately and discard of them properly.
Until these products are safely off our shelves and out of our homes, it is only a matter of time before another injury occurs. If you or a loved one have been the victim of a gel fuel or liquid fuel product call the burn injury attorneys Brigham Cluff and David Cluff now. Burns due to these products are excruciating and life changing. Many such burns require extended hospital stays, multiple skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries as well as possible occupational and/or physical therapies. These procedures and therapies take time and lots of money. DO NOT let yourself or your loved one fall victim to these companies again when their insurance companies give you the run around or under value your pain and suffering. Instead, get the help you deserve. Brigham Cluff and David Cluff will fight for your rights as a victim of gel fueled firepots or liquid fuel products. Product liability law is sophisticated and requires experienced, aggressive attorneys who understand just how to bring justice to the doorsteps of companies who think they can get away with seriously injuring, even killing their own customers.