With the cold weather, people are looking for ways to stay warm. What's more cozy than sitting around a firepit and roasting a few marshmallows or hot dogs? Well, if you have a liquid-burning firepit then you may want to reconsider.
Officials say that a liquid-burning firepit killed a New Hampshire couple and also resulted in injuries for dozens more. On Thursday, Dec. 19, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission rang the alarm on a consumer alert. Specifically, it said that liquid-burning firepits are a potential hazard. They "violate the requirements in voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19."
"Stop using alcohol or other liquid-burning fire pits that violate voluntary standards and present flame jetting and fire hazards," the message from the Consumer Product Safety Commission read. "Consumers should immediately stop using and dispose of these products. Sellers should stop selling these products."
The life you save may just be your own. Officials linked the liquid-burning firepits to the deaths of a New Hampshire couple. Flames severely burned Herm and Thelma Stolzenburg. The two were sitting around their tabletop firepit when it began to spew flames. It resulted in third-degree burns that killed the 93-year-olds.
Liquid-Burning Firepit
Daughter Dee McEneaney told local CBS affiliate WBZ-TV, "All of a sudden, these flames shot out and like a blow torch, is all I describe it as. That totally took over both my parents' bodies."
Meanwhile, others have reported similar injuries involving the firepits. More than 60 people have reported injuries since 2019. Katelyn Little, a Massachusetts native, said she also found herself on fire. She ended up jumping into a pool to put out the flames. It resulted in third and second degree burns.
"I was there for a total of four days being treated by the burn unit, with daily dressing changes and soaks and I didn't get out of bed for four days. I couldn't walk. It was just, it was horrible," Little told the outlet.
"Use of the recalled fire pits can lead to injury quickly and unexpectedly, causing burns in less than one second, that can be serious and deadly," the organization said in a message on its website.
