Nearly 50,000 tabletop fire pits were recalled in 2026 after reports that flames could escape the container and burn the people using them. The compact decorative burners, designed to hold a small pool of liquid fuel for ambiance on a table or patio, were found capable of a dangerous failure in which fire jets out unexpectedly or spreads across spilled fuel.
The recall highlights a hazard that safety regulators have flagged repeatedly with this category of product. The appeal of a small open flame at arm’s reach is exactly what makes these devices risky when the fuel does not behave as expected, and the reported injuries in this case included severe burns.
The recalled fire pits
Southern Telecom recalled about 48,700 Brookstone-branded tabletop fire pits after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined they posed a risk of serious burn injury or death from flame jetting and fire hazards. The recall covered model numbers BSFIREPIT01, BSFIREPIT02 and BSFIREPIT03. The company had received two reports of flames jetting from the concrete container, resulting in two injuries that included second- and third-degree burns, according to the commission’s recall announcement.
The fire pits were sold at retailers including Macy’s, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and others nationwide, as well as online, from February 2023 through December 2024 for roughly $20 to $25. Consumers were told to stop using them immediately and to contact the company for a full refund, a remedy consistent with the seriousness of the hazard.
What flame jetting means
Flame jetting occurs when vapor from a liquid fuel ignites and shoots outward in a sudden burst, often when a user pours or adds fuel near an existing flame or hot surface. With alcohol-based and similar fuels, invisible vapors can travel and ignite unexpectedly, sending fire well beyond the intended burn area. A related danger is a pool fire, in which flames spread across the surface of fuel that has spilled or overflowed.
These phenomena are particularly hazardous in a tabletop setting because users are close to the device, frequently seated around it, and may be refueling it during use. A burst of flame at that range can ignite clothing and cause the kind of deep burns reported in this recall.
A category under repeated scrutiny
The Brookstone recall is not an isolated case. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued multiple warnings and recalls involving tabletop and personal fire pits from various brands, citing the same combination of flame jetting and pool-fire risks. In a separate action the commission urged consumers to stop using another brand of tabletop fire pit immediately over the same flame-jetting and fire risks, reflecting a pattern rather than a one-off defect.
That regulatory attention stems from the inherent tension in the product’s design: a small, refillable open flame marketed as safe for indoor and close-range use, paired with liquid fuels whose vapors are difficult to control. The recurrence across brands suggests the hazard is tied to how the products are used and fueled, not merely to a single manufacturer’s error.
The trouble with liquid fuel
Many tabletop fire pits burn pourable fuels such as bioethanol or similar alcohols, prized for their clean, smokeless flame. The same properties that make these fuels attractive also make them treacherous: their flames can be nearly invisible in daylight, leading users to mistakenly believe a fire is out and to add more fuel onto still-burning material, which can trigger flame jetting.
Safety experts generally advise never refueling any such device while it is lit or still hot, allowing it to cool fully first, and keeping it away from other flammable materials. But because those precautions depend on consistent, informed use, regulators have increasingly concluded that some designs are hazardous enough to warrant removal from the market rather than reliance on warnings alone.
What consumers should take away
For owners of the recalled Brookstone fire pits, the guidance was unambiguous: stop using them and seek the refund. More broadly, the case is a caution about an entire product category that has drawn repeated safety actions. Consumers considering or already using tabletop fire pits benefit from checking whether their model has been recalled and from treating any liquid-fueled open flame with the same care as a larger fire.
The two documented injuries behind this recall, both serious burns, are a reminder that a device small enough to sit in the center of a dinner table can still inflict the kind of harm associated with much larger fires. The recall aimed to prevent further incidents by removing the affected units from homes altogether.
The appeal that drives the risk
Tabletop fire pits sell on the promise of a warm, flickering flame small enough to place among plates and glasses, an aesthetic touch for patios and dinner tables. That intimacy is the crux of the danger. A campfire or a full-size backyard fire pit keeps people at a distance, but a tabletop burner invites them to sit inches away, often reaching over the flame to add fuel or adjust the device.
The recurring recalls suggest that no amount of marketing can fully reconcile a refillable open flame with close-quarters use. Some manufacturers have moved toward sealed fuel canisters or gel fuels that are harder to spill, and safety advocates continue to press for designs that make refueling accidents less likely. Until such changes become standard, regulators have shown they will pull individual products from the market when the reported injuries warrant it, as they did with the Brookstone line.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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