News from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2011
Release #12-002
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Bird Brain Firepot Fuel Gel, Bird Brain Firepot Citronella Fuel Gel and Bird Brain BioFuel Fuel Gel
Units: About 1.6 million bottles and cans
Distributor: Bird Brain Inc. of Ypsilanti, Mich.
Hazard: The pourable gel fuel can ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and objects nearby when it is poured into a firepot that is still burning. This hazard can occur if the consumer does not see the flame or is not aware that the firepot is still ignited. Gel fuel that splatters and ignites can pose fire and burn risks to consumers that can be fatal.
Incidents/Injuries: Bird Brain is aware of 20 reports of incidents, resulting in 11 injuries that involved first-, second- and third-degree burns.
Description: This recall involves pourable gel fuels packaged in 16-ounce, 32-ounce and 64-ounce plastic bottles and sold with or without citronella oil. The labels on the container say “Bird Brain Firepot Fuel Gel” or “BioFuel Fuel Gel.” The bottles were sold as single bottles and in multiple-bottle packages. The gel fuel is poured into a stainless steel cup in the center of ceramic firepots or other decorative lighting devices and ignited. The CPSC website lists the products affected.
Sold at: Sears, K-Mart, Target and other major retailers; Amazon.com, Target.com, Buy.com and various online specialty, home and garden, pet and gift shops and independent retailers from October 2008 through August 2011. Individual units were sold for between $8 and $18. Multi-packs were sold for between for between $18 and $136.
Manufactured in: U.S. and China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the pourable gel fuel and return the gel fuel to the company for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Bird Brain toll-free at (877) 414-0842 anytime (live operators available between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday) or visit the company’s website at www.birdbrainrecall.com
This firm is part of a larger set of pourable gel fuel recalls. For more information, please see:
News Release: Nine Manufacturers, Distributors Announce Consumer Recall of Pourable Gel Fuel Due to Burn and Flash Fire Hazards (Sept. 1, 2011)
News Release: Napa Home & Garden Recalls NAPAfire and FIREGEL Pourable Gel Fuel Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (June 22, 2011)
OnSafety Blog: Stop Using Pourable Gel Fuels (June 22, 2011)
Alert: Press Statement on Gel Fuels and Other Illuminating Fuels (June 14, 2011)
—
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on www.saferproducts.gov
CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or resell this or any other recalled product.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: www.saferproducts.gov, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain this news release and product safety information at www.cpsc.gov. To join a free e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx.
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (877) 414-0842
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
