Colsen recalls nearly 90,000 tabletop fire pits after reports of serious burn injuries

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 90,000 tabletop fire pits are being recalled after flames shooting out from them resulted in a handful of serious burn injuries.

The Colsen-branded fire pits, which are designed to hold fires by burning liquid alcohol, pose a “flame jetting” hazard, according to a recall notice published Thursday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The flame jetting can occur when a user is refilling the container, if fire flashes back and propels the burning alcohol.

Alcohol flames can be invisible, and the liquid may also spill or leak out of the pit during use, causing a flash fire. The recall notice warns that this can lead to injury quickly and unexpectedly, potential causing burns "in less than one second that can be serious and deadly.”

To date, the CPSC says it has received 31 reports of flame jetting or flames escaping from the fire pits, resulting in 19 burn injuries. Two of those were third-degree burns on more than 40% of the victims' bodies, the commission said, and at least six incidents involved surgery, prolonged medical treatment, loss of function or permanent disfigurement.