The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers to stop using at least 53,500 Houswise tabletop fire pits because the products can produce uncontrolled fires and forceful jets of flame.
The warning covers the Houswise Vesper, Altair, Quad and Astra models. These compact decorative fireplaces burn liquid fuels such as ethanol, bioethanol or isopropyl alcohol and were promoted for creating a small flame on tables, patios and other gathering spaces.
According to the CPSC’s July 16, 2026, safety warning, the agency has received more than two dozen reports involving flame jetting, fuel leaking outside the product and unexpectedly high flames. Seven injuries have been reported, including third-degree burns.
The CPSC is advising owners to stop using the affected fire pits immediately, dispose of them and avoid selling, donating or giving them to another person. The manufacturer, Furmia LLC, has not agreed to conduct a recall or provide a refund, replacement or repair.
Which Houswise Fire Pits Are Included?
The warning involves four Houswise model names: Vesper, Astra, Altair and Quad. Their bases may be round, square or rectangular, and the fire pits were sold in several finishes, including black, marble, light gray and dark gray.
Some packages included skewers, cheese boards or other accessories that encouraged users to gather closely around the flame. The products were sold through Houswise.com, Amazon, Walmart and other online retailers beginning in March 2023.
Owners may be able to identify their model through the original packaging, online order history or product documentation. The warning concerns the liquid-fuel versions described by the CPSC and should not automatically be extended to every wood- or pellet-burning product carrying the Houswise name.
However, anyone unable to determine whether a fire pit is affected should avoid operating it until the model and fuel system have been confirmed.
Flame Jetting Can Send Fire Toward People Without Warning
The most alarming hazard is known as flame jetting.
A tabletop fire may appear to have gone out even though a small alcohol flame remains present. Alcohol flames can be faint and difficult to see, particularly in bright outdoor light.
When someone begins pouring more liquid fuel, the remaining flame can ignite vapors inside the fuel bottle. Fire then travels back toward the container, creating pressure that can propel burning liquid and flames toward the person refilling the fire pit or anyone standing nearby.
This is not the same as a candle briefly flaring. The fuel container can behave like a flame-throwing device, sending fire beyond the tabletop and onto hands, faces, clothing or surrounding furniture.
The CPSC says alcohol and similar fuels can burn at temperatures exceeding 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Exposure at those temperatures can produce third-degree burns in less than one second.
Moving slowly, standing farther back or waiting a few minutes may not remove the danger because the user may be unable to confirm visually that every flame and hot ignition source has disappeared.
Pooled Fuel Can Create a Second Kind of Fire
Flame jetting is not the only problem identified by regulators.
The Houswise products require users to pour liquid fuel into an open container and ignite it in the same location. If alcohol leaks, spills or overflows, flames can spread across the surface of that liquid.
This creates what the CPSC calls an uncontrolled pool fire. Instead of remaining inside the decorative fire pit, the fire can travel across the table or another surface wherever the spilled fuel has collected.
Attempts to move the product may spread the burning liquid farther. Pouring additional fuel onto an active or apparently extinguished fire can make the situation significantly worse.
Because the fire pits are designed for tabletop use, people may be sitting close enough for flames to reach their clothing before they have time to move. Children gathered to roast marshmallows may be particularly vulnerable because their faces, hands and sleeves can be near the burner.
The CPSC’s reports involving Houswise products included fuel escaping from the fire pit and flames rising unexpectedly high, in addition to flame-jetting incidents.
This Is a Safety Warning, Not a Cooperative Recall
The distinction between a government warning and a product recall matters.
In a normal cooperative recall, the manufacturer or retailer works with the CPSC and usually announces a remedy. Depending on the product, consumers may receive a refund, replacement, repair or another corrective action.
Furmia LLC has not agreed to recall the Houswise fire pits or offer a remedy. The CPSC therefore issued its own unilateral consumer warning telling owners to stop using the products.
That means consumers should not expect an official recall kit or manufacturer-funded replacement unless the company’s position changes. The absence of a cooperative recall does not mean the products have been declared safe. The federal agency’s advice remains to discontinue use and dispose of them.
Owners should preserve purchase records and any relevant photographs before disposal, particularly when the product malfunctioned or caused an injury. Incidents involving a defect, fire or injury can be submitted through the government’s SaferProducts.gov reporting system.
The Warning Reflects a Broader Tabletop Fire-Pit Problem
Houswise is not the first brand connected to this type of hazard.
The CPSC previously warned against a broader category of tabletop fire pits that require users to pour alcohol or another liquid fuel into an open bowl and ignite the pooled liquid. The agency said products with this design can violate the voluntary ASTM F3363-19 safety standard intended to prevent pool fires and flame jetting.
In its broader warning on liquid-burning fire pits, the agency reported that this product category had been associated with two deaths and at least 60 injuries since 2019.
Nearly 90,000 Colsen-branded tabletop fire pits were recalled in 2024 after 31 reports of flames escaping or jetting from the products. Nineteen burn injuries were reported, including cases involving extensive third-degree burns, surgery and permanent disfigurement.
The repeated incidents suggest that the central risk is not limited to one color, shape or retailer. Open-reservoir fire pits that burn poured liquid alcohol can create hazards that are difficult for an ordinary user to detect or control.
Owners Should Not Attempt to Modify the Fire Pit
Adding a shield, replacing the fuel bottle or changing the type of alcohol would not turn an affected Houswise fire pit into an approved product.
The danger arises from the basic interaction between an open fuel reservoir, flammable liquid and a nearby ignition source. A homemade modification could introduce new risks or create a false sense of security.
The product should also not be tested one final time before disposal. A fire pit that previously operated without an obvious problem can still experience a leak, pool fire or flame-jetting event during a later use.
Disposal requirements may differ by community, especially when fuel remains inside the product or container. The fuel should not be poured into a sink, storm drain, soil or household trash. Local fire departments or household hazardous-waste programs can provide guidance for handling unused ethanol, bioethanol or isopropyl fuel safely.
Anyone who suffers a burn should move away from the fuel source and seek emergency medical assistance. Clothing stuck to burned skin should not be pulled away, and creams or improvised remedies should not delay professional treatment for serious burns.
Small Decorative Flames Can Cause Life-Changing Injuries
Tabletop fire pits are marketed as convenient ways to create warmth, atmosphere or a place to roast small foods. Their compact appearance can make them seem less hazardous than a full-size fireplace or outdoor fire pit.
The CPSC warning shows why that impression can be misleading. A small container can still hold highly flammable liquid capable of producing an uncontrolled fire or projecting burning fuel toward people seated only a few feet away.
Owners of the Houswise Vesper, Altair, Quad or Astra should follow the regulator’s instruction rather than waiting for a formal manufacturer recall. The products should no longer be operated, resold or passed to another household.
The safest response is not to refill the fire pit more carefully. It is to stop using it entirely.
