A backyard mosquito repellent is exploding in consumers’ backyards and causing severe burn injuries. Napa FireLites is the company that makes the ceramic firepots and gel-based fuel, and it is now facing personal injury and product liability lawsuits in South Carolina.
One lawsuit by two Charleston residents alleges that one of the defendant’s firepots suddenly exploded in a backyard this past May. The explosion shot a flame that caused second and third-degree burns to the plaintiffs’ bodies.
Two Florida residents filed a separate lawsuit alleging that a torch-like flame shot out from one of the firepots. One plaintiff is in intensive care with second and third-degree burns, while the other plaintiff suffered severe burns while trying to douse the flames.
Experts say that the gel-based fuel is over 90 percent ethanol and it is like lighting a torch. Similar explosions and injuries have occurred in New York as well. One of the firepots exploded near a 14-year-old boy, and the boy suffered life-threatening injuries as a result. A 24-year-old Manhattan man is on a ventilator after a firepot explosion nearly killed him and a friend earlier this month.
The firepots are popular in backyards and Napa markets them as “people safe.” Consumers are not aware of the fire and explosion hazards associated with the product.
A Florida injury attorney can represent you in a product liability lawsuit if you suffer injuries from a defective product. A skilled Florida lawyer can get you fair compensation to help you recover from your injuries.