Nearly 48,700 Brookstone-branded tabletop fire pits sold at Macy's, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and other retailers have been recalled after two people suffered second- and third-degree burns when the devices erupted into flame jetting incidents. The concrete, alcohol-burning fire pits were sold nationwide, including through Macys.com, from February 2023 through December 2024 for between $20 and $25 apiece.
What Went Wrong With the Design
The recall, issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday and covered by FOX 10 Phoenix, affects three Brookstone models — the BSFirePit01, BSFirePit02 and BSFirePit03 — each a round or hexagonal concrete open reservoir meant to hold burning liquid alcohol. Per CPSC, the fire pits can produce flame jetting from fuel containers and uncontrolled pool fires across pooled or spilled alcohol, hazards the agency says can cause serious or fatal burns. Southern Telecom, the importer, has received two reports of flame jetting and flames escaping from the concrete container, according to the same account.
According to the official CPSC recall notice tracked as Recall No. 26-687, the fire pits were manufactured in China and imported by Brooklyn-based Southern Telecom Inc., a company founded in 1988 that licenses well-known retail names like Brookstone, Polaroid and Sharper Image for its imported products, per Inven. Federal law strictly prohibits reselling or donating recalled items, the agency's notice states. Consumers should stop using the fire pits immediately and contact Southern Telecom for a refund, and they should dispose of the product only after contacting the company.
How to Get a Refund
To process a refund, consumers can email a photo of the fire pit marked recalled, along with their name and the date, to [email protected]. The recalled units were sold by Macy's, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Indoff, iBuy and Newton Buying Corp., and each carries its own UPC code — 680079015930 for the BSFirePit01, 680079015947 for the BSFirePit02, and 680079015954 for the BSFirePit03.
A Design Regulators Have Flagged Before
The Brookstone recall lands amid a broader reckoning with this entire product category. In December 2024, the CPSC issued a sweeping category-wide alert urging consumers to immediately stop using and throw away unvented liquid-alcohol tabletop fire pits, warning that the pooled-alcohol design itself creates catastrophic flame jetting and pool fire risks. Fire pits that require users to pour alcohol into an open container and ignite it in the same spot violate the voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19, which is meant to prevent exactly this kind of accident, according to the agency.
The danger comes down to chemistry. Isopropyl alcohol and ethanol burn at temperatures exceeding 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit and can inflict third-degree burns in less than a second, while producing translucent flames that are nearly invisible in daylight — leading people to assume a fire is out when it isn't before they add more fuel, per the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Federal safety statistics show liquid-fueled tabletop fire pits have been linked to at least two deaths and more than 60 serious burn injuries since 2019, with many victims requiring hospitalization, skin grafts and treatment for permanent disfigurement, according to Best Lawyers.
A Pattern Across Multiple Brands
The Brookstone units are far from the first of their kind pulled from shelves. In October 2024, the CPSC recalled roughly 89,500 Colsen-branded fire pits after 31 reports of flame jetting and escaping flames caused 19 burn injuries, including two victims burned over more than 40% of their bodies — a case the company never recovered from financially. Hoodline previously reported on a lawsuit tied to a San Diego balcony fire pit blast involving a Colsen model that left a Navy veteran permanently scarred.
Regulators also recalled 66,000 Five Below tabletop fire pits in September 2025 over escaping flames and flash fire hazards, and in July 2026 issued a stop-use warning for Houswise tabletop fire pits after more than two dozen incident reports and seven burn injuries. Litigation has followed the pattern of recalls: a federal lawsuit filed in January 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan accuses Macy's, Brookstone brand parent BKST Brand Holdings, and Southern Telecom of failing to warn consumers or pull a defective fire pit before a Michigan woman suffered severe second- and third-degree burns to her face, neck and chest refueling one last June, as reported by Daily Hornet.
Even as major retailers face growing legal exposure, marketplaces have tried to tighten the gate: Amazon began requiring third-party sellers of portable tabletop fire pits to submit lab test reports proving compliance with the ASTM F3363-19 standard before listing products for sale, according to JJR LAB. Anyone who still has a Brookstone fire pit at home is urged to stop using it right away and seek a refund rather than pass it along to someone else.
