Flame jetting happens when liquid fuel is poured near a flame that’s still burning, often one you can’t see. Fire travels back up the fuel stream and bursts outward toward the person refueling and anyone nearby.

Tabletop fire pits, also called tabletop fireplaces, fire bowls, or bioethanol fireplaces, are sold on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other retailers as safe, smokeless décor. Many burn rubbing alcohol, ethanol, or bioethanol poured into an open bowl. When these products cause serious burns, injured people may bring individual product liability claims against the companies that designed, made, or sold them. These are not class actions. Each case is based on its own facts. 

Four points:

• Nearly invisible flames: alcohol flames can be almost impossible to see, especially in daylight. A fire pit can look “out” while it’s still burning.

• Fire that travels backward: hidden flames can ignite the fuel stream and shoot back toward the bottle like a blowtorch.

• Bystanders in the path: flames and burning fuel can reach guests and children nearby, not just the person refueling.

• Extreme heat: the CPSC reports these fuels can burn above 1,600°F and cause third-degree burns in under a second.

In product liability cases, a product may be considered defective in three main ways:

• Design defect: the product is dangerous by design, for example refueling into the same open bowl where fuel burns.

• Manufacturing defect: something went wrong in how it was made, such as fuel leaking into a cracked concrete base.

• Failure to warn: the instructions and labels don’t adequately warn about invisible flames, flame jetting, or the need for a flame arrestor on the fuel container.