Demands for ban of flaming gel fuel intensify
A Chicago man recalled his experience of sustaining personal injuries from the dangerous flaming gel fuel. He told the Chicago Tribune that he remembered seeing a fireball go towards him and when he tried to shield his face, the flaming gel covered his face, arm, and shirt. The 31 year-old Lakeview Chicago man was merely attending a housewarming party for a friend in Chicago. The friend had his deck decorated for the housewarming party, including a decorative table to hold a flame in the middle. The dangerous flame is fueled by a gel that comes out of a bottle and burns without a wick. When the flame went out or got low, his friend added more gel, causing the explosion to occur and spraying burning gel onto the Chicago personal injury victim as he sat a few feet away.
The gel caused the Chicago man such serious personal injuries that he had to spend two days in intensive care and four days in the burn center at Loyola University Medical Center. This was not a freak accident; the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has received reports of fifty-seven personal injuries and two wrongful deaths related to gel fuel and decorative pots and tables that hold the burning substance. That very same day that the Chicago man received his burn injuries, a 51 year-old man passed away after having been splattered with a similar fuel gel a few weeks earlier. That man had been using the gel fuel in a portable firepot in late May on their patio. A similar scenario ensued – the man added more fuel to the firepot and gel exploded from the pot. The man fell into a coma due to his personal injuries and died a few weeks later.
While one brand of gel fuel has been recalled, several other companies continue to make and sell similar products. The attorney general of Illinois Lisa Madigan announced that she wants the safety commission to recall all gel fuel products.
Visit the Chicago Tribune to read more about the dangerous gel fuel product and the push for its ban.
