CPSC Issues New Round of Pourable Gel Fuel Recalls

About 158,000 bottles of gel fuel from five different manufacturers have been recalled, as federal consumer protection officials attempt to remove all of the pourable gels from the market due to their tendency to splatter unexpectedly, causing serious and potentially life-threatening burn injuries. 

The most recent recalls come about a month after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) first announced an industry-wide pourable gel fuel recall after the products were linked to at least two deaths and 65 other incidents, including 34 injuries that required hospitalization. Only two injuries are associated with the most recent round of recalls.

The CPSC decided to recall the gel fuels because the products have a tendency to ignite unexpectedly, usually when poured on firepots that consumers do not realize are still hot. The gel ignites in a flash fire and may splatter onto nearby victims. Nearly half of the incidents were linked to gel fuel products made by Napa Home & Garden, whose NAPAfire and FIREGEL products were recalled in late June.

The most recent round of gel fuel recalls includes:

• About 16,500 Bond Firebowl Pourable Gel Fuel bottles and jugs
• About 14,000 Fuel Baron’s Inc. OZOfire and SUREFIRE (Formula 4) bottles and jugs
• About 26,500 Luminosities/Windflame Inc. OZOfire (Formula 4) bottles
• About 100,000 Real Flame Pourable Gel Fuel Bottles
• About 1,400 Smart Solar Inc. Smart Jel Gel Fuel Bottles

Details on the specific products affected by each recall can be found in the corresponding CPSC recall notice in the links above.

The CPSC is urging retailers to stop selling pourable gel fuel immediately and remove it from their shelves. Consumers are urged to stop using the gels and are warned against trying to rig homemade remedies for the bottles or replacing the gel with other fuels. Some companies are attempting to design caps for pourable gel fuel bottles that would prevent flash fire risks, the CPSC noted.

Consumers with pourable gel fuels by any of the companies listed in the recall can contact those companies for a full refund. A list of links to those companies’ websites is included in the CPSC recall notice.