Tabletop fire pit loosed a fireball so big it melted lights, suit says; injured vet sues Amazon

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Set us as preferred The small, decorative tabletop fire pit that Anthony Trevino bought on Amazon five years ago looked harmless.Now, the product is at the center of a lawsuit against its manufacturers and the e-commerce giant after it allegedly erupted into a fireball while he was refilling it last year, leaving the 31-year-old former U.S.Navy search-and-rescue swimmer with third-degree burns to his face, neck and body.The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in San Diego County Superior Court, accuses Amazon of selling defective tabletop alcohol-burning fire pits despite a ban on the products in two countries and their link to two deaths and about 60 injuries since 2019.A spokesperson for Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

“Anthony’s life has been forever changed because a dangerous product stayed on the market despite years of warning signs — and he is not the only one,” Maureen Hennessey, Trevino’s attorney, said in a written statement.According to the complaint, Trevino purchased a Colsen tabletop fire pit from Amazon in February 2021 and two bottles of medical-grade isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to use as fuel.The fire pit was marketed as “easy and safe to use,” according to the lawsuit.But on Sept.

17, Trevino was using the fire pit on his apartment balcony when it exploded as he was refilling it, according to the complaint.“The explosion caused gruesome third-degree burn injuries to his face, ears, neck, torso, arms, hands and fingers,” the complaint read.“He was hospitalized for many weeks and continues to have permanent and debilitating burn injuries that affect every aspect of his daily life.” His attorneys said the blast melted decorative lighting on his balcony, charred the railing and melted sections of artificial turf.“I never imagined a product sold to me as ‘safe and easy’ would ...