Nearly 100,000 bonfires are being frantically removed in the wake of multiple federal lawsuits filed by burn victims.
Miami-based Colsen’s countertop appliances have already burned 19 people, the company admitted Wednesday, issuing a historic recall of 89,500 indoor and outdoor items.
So far there have been 31 reports of flames and fire escaping from fuel containers, resulting in injuries that continue to rise.
Seven models of Colsen brand stoves, ranging in size from five to 18 inches, were named in the recall, after two incidents resulted in third-degree burns. The park of pits constituted the entire catalog of the company.
Meanwhile, the victims suffered burns on more than 40 percent of their bodies, the firm said, citing flash fires that occurred while they were refilling bonfire tanks with alcohol.
Victims suffered burns on more than 40 percent of their bodies, the firm said, after cases such as Kayla Hominski, who spent four weeks in a Pennsylvania hospital in a medically induced coma after being burned by a Colsen device. .
Nearly 100,000 bonfires are being frantically removed in the wake of multiple federal lawsuits filed by burn victims. Miami-based Colsen’s countertop appliances have already burned 19 people, the company admitted Wednesday as it issued the historic recall.
“Our beautiful, fierce, incredible friend suffered a horrible fire-related accident that left her burned over half her body,” Elizabeth Rogers, a friend of victim Kayla Hominski, 36, wrote in a pleading post on GoFundMe in August. .
‘He is currently in a trauma burn unit in a medical coma recovering from his injuries in Pennsylvania, hours from home.
“We are asking for help for the family as they incur medical, child care, hotel and other expenses during these difficult weeks ahead.”
According to the publication and a subsequent lawsuit, the fire pit made by Colsen Fire Pits LLC ignited when Hominski’s husband, Nicholas, was refueling without warning in July, despite the device being advertised as “easy and safe.” “.
The woman spent four weeks in a Pennsylvania hospital in a trauma burn unit, where she was placed in a medically induced coma.
Now in recovery, Hominski was one of two who suffered third-degree burns from the devices, which are sold by companies like Wayfair and Amazon.
Similar incidents have also been seen in the United States and Canada, with Toronto’s Tommy Dalton severely burned by a 5-inch campfire purchased from Colsen “when it suddenly exploded sending out flames like a blowtorch,” said his daughter Jess.
Similar incidents have also been seen in the U.S. and Canada, with Tommy Dalton of Toronto severely burned by a 5-inch tabletop fire pit purchased from Colsen “when it suddenly exploded sending out flames like a blowtorch,” his daughter Jess said.
“Fortunately we were able to put out the flames quickly, but he still suffered burns on 6 to 8 percent of his body, mainly on his leg and stomach,” he wrote in a Sept. 15 Facebook post, recalling how the heartbreaking event “it happened in an instant”
“Fortunately we were able to put out the flames quickly, but he still suffered burns on 6 to 8 percent of his body, mainly on his leg and stomach,” he wrote in a Sept. 15 Facebook post, recalling how the heartbreaking event ‘it happened in an instant.’
Pictured is a burn from a Colsen device posted by an Amazon user last year.
The doting daughter warned viewers not to buy the product, a warning that proved prescient about a month before the U.S. recall.
In July, a Kentucky couple, Erin and Trevor Jones, filed another federal lawsuit against Colsen, along with reseller Amazon, after the couple suffered severe burns from another defective fire pit.
Vanessa and Gaines Womack, also in the Blue Grass State, filed a similar lawsuit against Colsen, saying they suffered similar injuries during a burning incident over the summer.
“At Colsen, we take security very seriously,” said a statement sent by the company on Wednesday announcing the recall.
The recall includes all Colsen brand fires, it said, citing “a risk of serious burns from flame jets and fire spread hazards.”
Officials went on to warn that alcohol flames “may be invisible” and that alcohol can also splash, spill or leak from the tank during use, causing a flash fire.
In July, a Kentucky couple, Erin and Trevor Jones, filed another federal lawsuit against Colsen, along with reseller Amazon, after the couple suffered severe burns from another defective fire pit.
These fires “can spread and create larger, hotter flames that can escape from the unit,” the company warned, as several of its products have received negative reviews.
In July 2023, an Amazon user wrote about Colsen’s tabletop fire bowl: ‘This item exploded when my 29 year old son turned it on, forcing him to visit the emergency room.
“These must be removed from the site immediately.”
The mother shared a photo of what was supposedly her son’s severely burned finger, as the device was one of several recalled Wednesday.
“They are super dangerous,” one user wrote last month. ‘I work in a hospital and two people have caught fire due to these serious burns, possible death.
‘Dangerous product!’ another added the previous month: “It can override at any time.”
The person went on to claim to know of a house fire and a death due to a flame caused by a Colsen device.
In announcing the recall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that no refund is available to those who own these stoves, as Colsen “does not have the financial resources to offer a remedy to consumers.” .
Several of Colsen’s products, sold by companies such as Amazon and Wayfair, have previously received negative reviews.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit filed by the Womacks, one of at least two parties to file federal firepit lawsuits, cited other reviews that warned of “the unreasonably dangerous nature of this product.”
The affected stoves are all gray or black and have a round, rectangular, hexagonal, square or skull shape.
They are sold with fire extinguishers, several are intended for use indoors and others outdoors.
In announcing the recall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that no refund is available to those who own these stoves, as Colsen “does not have the financial resources to offer a remedy to consumers.” .
Meanwhile, some of the lawsuits name resellers like Wayfair as defendants, as wells were previously sold by Colsen, Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, Sharper Image, FlipShop, Grommet, Meta and TikTok.
Prices ranged from $40 to $90.