A pourable fuel gel distributed by a St. Paul company and others around the country is the subject of a federal recall after flash fires killed two people and injured dozens of others.
The recall, announced Thursday, involves about 2 million units of the gel fuels marketed under various brand names. They were sold in quart- and gallon-sized containers since 2008 for $5 to $20, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said.
"Due to the serious risks of flash fire and burns when consumers add pourable gel to an already burning fire pot, consumers should immediately stop using the pourable gel fuel," the agency said in announcement. "All pourable gel fuel, regardless of manufacturer, poses flash-fire hazards."
The agency said it is aware of 65 incidents resulting in two deaths and 34 victims hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns of the face, chest, hands, arms or legs.
The St. Paul distributor, Luminosities/Windflame Inc., said that it has been notified of one incident, with no resulting injury from its supply.
Luminosities/Windflame said its portion of the recall covers 26,500 quart-sized containers with Fuel Barons Inc. on the label. The UPC code on the bottle is 804879254133. They were sold online, in stores and catalogs, and through home decorators and landscape architects from October 2010 until last month.
The two deaths and many of the burn injuries occurred with gel made by Georgia-based Napa Home & Garden, which conducted a recall in June.
For more on this recall, visit www.startribune.com/a639.
