Tabletop Fire Pit Burn Injury & Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Tabletop fire pit lawsuits are being pursued against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of alcohol-fueled tabletop fire pits, which have caused serious burn injuries and deaths for individual throughout the U.S. The claims allege that these companies sold unreasonably dangerous products without incorporating essential safety features or providing adequate warnings about the fire hazard risks.

The lawsuits involve popular brand-name models such as Colsen Fire Pits and FLÎKRfire Fire Pits, as well as unbranded and private-label products sold through major retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, and others.

These compact fire pits are typically fueled by liquid ethanol or alcohol-based gels, which can ignite suddenly and violently — even when flames are not visible. Many of the units lacked critical safety components, such as flame arrestors, heat indicators, or proper refueling instructions, greatly increasing the risk of:

• Flame jetting explosions during refueling
• Flashback ignition from residual heat or invisible flames
• Severe and disfiguring burn injuries
• Fatal accidents in home or outdoor settings

The lawsuits further allege that despite numerous reports of injuries, hospitalizations, and deaths, the companies failed to correct design defects, add safety mechanisms, or adequately warn consumers. In some cases, the products continued to be sold even after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued recalls or public safety warnings.

Who Can File a Tabletop Fire Pit Lawsuit?

You may qualify for a tabletop fire pit lawsuit settlement if you or a loved one suffered serious injuries or death involving an alcohol-fueled tabletop fire pit. Our burn injury lawyers are reviewing claims for individuals who:

• Suffered second- or third-degree burns requiring prolonged medical treatment, skin grafts, or hospitalization
• Experienced permanent scarring, disfigurement, nerve damage, or loss of mobility
• Were injured by flame jetting, flashback ignition, or invisible flames during refueling
• Used a recalled Colsen fire pit, a FLÎKRfire unit, or a similar alcohol-fueled tabletop model
• Lost a loved one in a tabletop fire pit explosion or fire

For a free, confidential consultation, contact our tabletop fire pit lawyers at 1-800-522-0102 or by filling out the form by clicking here.

Defective Tabletop Fire Pit Designs

Tabletop fire pits are compact, decorative units often marketed as safe for use in homes, patios, and small outdoor spaces. Many models, including Colsen and FLÎKRfire, are fueled by liquid ethanol or alcohol-based gels, which can ignite violently, even when flames are no longer visible.

While the liquid fuel fire pits are promoted as stylish, functional centerpieces, their designs frequently lack critical safety features such as flame arrestors, heat indicators, or secure fuel reservoirs. This increases the risk of:

• Flame jetting, where a torch-like burst of fire shoots out during refueling
• Flashback ignition from residual heat or invisible flames
• Large, uncontrolled fires that often spread beyond the unit

Lawsuits allege that the defective fire pits create an especially high risk when users attempt to refill a fire pit that appears extinguished but is still hot. Without visible flames or warning indicators, the volatile fuel can instantly ignite, causing explosions and catastrophic injuries.

What Is Flame Jetting From Alcohol-Fueled Fire Pits?

Flame jetting, often called fire jetting, is a dangerous phenomenon that can occur when flammable liquid fuels like ethanol are poured from a container into a heat source that is still hot or actively burning.

How Flame Jetting Occurs:

• Invisible Flames and Residual Heat: Alcohol flames can be nearly invisible in daylight or under certain lighting. Even when no flame is visible, the fuel and surrounding surfaces may remain dangerously hot.
• Fuel Vapor Formation: When new fuel is poured into a hot fire pit, the heat instantly vaporizes the liquid, creating a dense cloud of highly flammable vapors.
• Rapid Ignition: Those vapors ignite the moment they meet a hidden flame or hot surface, producing a sudden, high-pressure jet of fire that can shoot several feet.
• Severe Injury Risk: The pressurized flame can engulf a person in less than a second, often resulting in deep burns before they can react.

Regulators have documented cases where users attempted to refuel tabletop fire pits while roasting marshmallows or entertaining guests. Believing the flame was out, they poured more ethanol into the unit, only to trigger a violent eruption of fire that caused second- and third-degree burns to the face, arms, and torso.

How Flame Arrestors and Safer Designs Could Have Reduced the Risk

A flame arrestor is a simple yet effective safety device that prevents flames from traveling back into a container of flammable liquid. It typically consists of a perforated metal screen or mesh that disperses heat and breaks up the flame front before it can reach the fuel source.

If manufacturers had incorporated flame arrestors into the fuel reservoir openings of alcohol-fueled tabletop fire pits , or into the design of their refill canisters, many of these explosions could have been prevented.

In addition to flame arrestors, safer design measures could have included:

• Visible flame indicators to make it clear when the unit is still burning
• Secure, enclosed fuel reservoirs to reduce vapor escape during refueling
• Temperature-sensitive safety locks that prevent refueling until the unit is cool
• Clear, permanent warning labels explaining the dangers of refueling too soon

These design elements are widely known in fire safety engineering and have been applied in similar consumer products for decades. Their absence in many alcohol-fueled tabletop fire pits has directly contributed to severe burn injuries and fatalities.

CPSC Tabletop Fire Pit Recalls and Safety Warnings

Federal safety officials have taken action after multiple reports of tabletop fire pit explosions, severe burns, and fatalities:

Colsen Fire Pits Recalled Over Burn Injuries

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the Colsen tabletop fire pit recall on October 17, 2024, impacting roughly 89,500 units. At the time of the CPSC notice, the recalled fire pits had been linked to at least 31 reports of flame jetting and flash fires, including 19 burn injuries. Some victims required skin grafts and long-term hospitalization.

FLÎKRfire Fire Pit Safety Warning

Just two months later on December 19, 2024, the CPSC urged consumers to stop using FLÎKRfire tabletop fireplaces after multiple burn injuries and at least two deaths. Although no formal recall was issued, regulators determined these units posed the same hazards as recalled models and should be considered unsafe for continued use.

Despite these actions, many dangerous units were sold for years through Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, TikTok Storefronts, Sharper Image, FlipShop, Grommet, and other retailers.

Burn Injuries from Alcohol-Fueled Tabletop Fire Pits

Explosions and flash fires from defective tabletop fire pits often cause severe burn injuries, which are among the most common and devastating outcomes. Because these products use volatile alcohol-based fuels, burns are often deeper and more extensive than those caused by wood or gas fires.

Degrees of Burn Injury

• First-Degree Burns: Affect only the outer layer of skin (epidermis), causing redness and pain. These injuries usually heal with minimal treatment but can be extremely painful.
• Second-Degree Burns: Extend into the dermis, often producing blisters, swelling, and severe pain. Treatment may require wound cleaning, dressing changes, and infection control; deeper cases need hospitalization in a burn unit.
• Third-Degree Burns: Destroy all layers of the skin and can damage underlying tissue, nerves, and muscles. These life-threatening injuries often require emergency surgical intervention, multiple skin grafts, and long-term rehabilitation.

Severe burns frequently result in permanent scarring, reduced mobility, and emotional trauma, and victims may need months — or even years — of medical care and recovery.

Other Common Injuries Linked to Tabletop Fire Pits

• Permanent scarring and disfigurement: Deep burns can leave visible, lasting scars that may require reconstructive surgery, scar revision procedures, or laser treatments, along with extensive care at burn treatment facilities.
• Nerve damage and loss of mobility: Burns and blast injuries can damage peripheral nerves, causing chronic pain, numbness, or paralysis. Recovery may involve nerve repair surgery, physical therapy, and ongoing rehabilitation.
• Inhalation injuries from sudden combustion or smoke exposure: Superheated air, flames, and toxic fumes can cause burns to the airway and lungs. Victims may need intubation, oxygen therapy, or extended respiratory support in an intensive care unit.
• Fatal burn injuries in both adults and children: In the most tragic cases, severe burns and smoke inhalation lead to death. Surviving family members may pursue wrongful death claims to recover funeral costs, loss of support, and compensation for emotional suffering.

Allegations Raised in Tabletop Fire Pit Lawsuits

In light of the severe and often life-altering injuries linked to these products, the attorneys at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are pursuing product liability and negligence claims against the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of alcohol-fueled tabletop fire pits.

These lawsuits allege that the parties responsible for placing these products into the marketplace failed to meet basic safety obligations under the law, including the duty to design, manufacture, and sell products that are reasonably safe for their intended use, and to provide clear warnings about known hazards.

Allegations Against Manufacturers

• Designed and sold products without flame arrestors or heat indicators
• Failed to include adequate warnings about invisible flames or refueling hazards
• Ignored voluntary safety standards, such as ASTM F3363-19, designed to prevent flame jetting
• Continued to sell units despite documented injury reports and federal safety actions

Allegations Against Retailers and Distributors

• Sold recalled or unsafe units without removing them from inventory
• Marketed defective products as safe for indoor or tabletop use
• Failed to provide point-of-sale safety disclosures or instructions
• Distributed unbranded or private-label alcohol-fueled fire pits with the same design hazards as recalled models

What Compensation Is Available Through a Tabletop Fire Pit Lawsuit?

If you or a loved one suffered severe burns or other injuries from a tabletop fire pit, you may be entitled to recover compensation through a personal injury lawsuit for:

• Medical Expenses: Emergency care, burn treatment, surgeries, rehabilitation, and ongoing care
• Lost Wages or Earning Capacity: Income lost during recovery or due to permanent disability
• Long-Term Disability Support: Costs of mobility aids, home modifications, and daily assistance
• Pain and Suffering: Physical pain, emotional trauma, and diminished quality of life
• Wrongful Death Damages: Funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and loss of financial support

Tabletop Fire Pit Wrongful Death Lawsuits

When an exploding or defective tabletop fire pit results in death, families may have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against responsible parties. These claims can help recover damages for:

• Funeral and burial expenses
• Loss of companionship, care, and guidance
• Loss of household income and support
• Emotional distress caused by the preventable loss of a loved one
• Medical bills incurred before death

How Long Do I Have to File a Tabletop Fire Pit Lawsuit?

The time limit to file a tabletop fire pit lawsuit is set by each state’s statute of limitations, which may be as short as one year in some jurisdictions. This deadline typically begins:

• On the date of the injury or death, or
• When the injury was discovered to be linked to the tabletop fire pit

Wrongful death timelines may differ, and special rules often apply to cases involving minors. Because these deadlines are strictly enforced, it is important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible.

Are There Any Costs to Hire a Tabletop Fire Pit Lawyer?

There are no out-of-pocket costs to review your case or hire our attorneys. Tabletop fire pit lawsuits are being evaluated nationwide, and all cases are handled on a contingency fee basis.

This means that individuals and families who have suffered harm or wrongful death can access the experience and resources of Saiontz & Kirk, P.A., regardless of their financial situation.

Through the use of contingency attorney fees, individuals have access to the experience and resources of our national law firm for their lawsuit.