Short answer: the ethanol fireplace refueling danger is flame jetting. When fuel is poured into a burner that is still lit or still hot, the flame can travel back up the pouring stream and burning fuel can be thrown onto the person pouring and anyone nearby. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says these fuels burn at over 1,600°F and can cause third degree burns in less than one second. The flame is often hard to see, so “it looks out” is not proof that it is out.
That is the pattern regulators in both the United States and Canada keep describing. It does not usually start with a fire growing out of control during normal use. It starts with a person, a bottle, and a burner they believe is finished.
What the regulators have actually said
Two national product safety regulators have issued warnings about this exact moment.
The CPSC’s consumer alert of December 19, 2024 (read September 28, 2026) covers fire pits “meant to burn pooled alcohol or other liquid fuel.” It reports two deaths and at least 60 injuries since 2019. It describes flame jetting as happening when refilling these products “if any flame is present,” causing “an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid.” It also warns that “a small flame in the fire pit can be hard to see.” For the products covered, which it says violate the voluntary standard ASTM F3363-19, the CPSC’s instruction is direct: “Consumers should immediately stop using and dispose of these products. Sellers should stop selling these products.”
The CPSC has since named specific products. On May 7, 2026, it warned consumers to stop using Northlight Bio Ethanol Portable Tabletop Fireplaces immediately and dispose of them, citing uncontrolled pool fires and flame jetting, and repeating that a small flame “can be hard to see.”
Health Canada reached the same conclusion earlier. Its information update of October 9, 2019 (read September 28, 2026) describes flame jetting as occurring when “fuel is poured into a firepot that is still burning or hot,” and warns that some fuels burn in a way where “flames may be difficult to see, especially when a low amount of fuel is left in the firepot.”
Ethanol fireplace refueling danger, step by step
The regulators’ descriptions line up into one sequence. Understanding it is more useful than any single tip, because every step is a place the chain can be broken.
- The flame dies down. As the fuel runs low, the flame shrinks. Health Canada notes that flames may be hardest to see when little fuel is left. In a lit room, a small alcohol flame can look like nothing at all.
- The owner decides it is out. Nothing looks lit, and the evening is not over, so the bottle comes out.
- Fuel is poured toward a flame or a hot burner. Even with no visible flame, Health Canada’s definition covers a firepot that is “still burning or hot.”
- The fuel ignites as it is poured. The CPSC says a small, hard-to-see flame can ignite liquid fuel as it is poured.
- The flame travels up the stream. This is the jetting. Health Canada describes flames traveling up the fuel stream toward the container in the person’s hand.
- Burning fuel is expelled. The CPSC describes flames and burning liquid being propelled onto the consumer or bystanders. Whoever is holding the bottle, and whoever is standing closest, is in the path.
Every one of those steps feels ordinary to the person doing it. That is why the pattern repeats.
Why “wait until it looks out” is not a safety rule
The single most dangerous assumption is that you can judge the burner by eye. Both regulators say the flame can be hard to see, and Health Canada says it is hardest to see when little fuel is left, which is exactly when people decide to refuel.
Health Canada’s definition also covers a firepot that is hot rather than lit. A burner that is genuinely out can still be part of the problem. So there are two separate questions before any fuel goes in:
| Question | Why it matters | How it is answered |
|---|---|---|
| Is the flame out? | A small flame may be invisible | Extinguish it deliberately with the snuffer or method in your manual, rather than waiting for it to die |
| Has the burner cooled? | Health Canada’s flame jetting definition includes a hot firepot | Wait until the burner “has cooled completely,” as Health Canada advises, and at least as long as your manual specifies |
There is no universal cooling time. Guidance differs by source and by model. The East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom, for example, advises waiting a minimum of 10 minutes before refueling, while individual manufacturers set their own minimums in their manuals. The honest rule is the most conservative one that applies to your unit: fully cooled, and never less than the manual says.
The design fix is bigger than the user fix
Much of the advice sold alongside these products puts the whole burden on the owner: be careful, wait, pour slowly. The regulators point somewhere else as well, at the product and the fuel container.
- The burner. The CPSC says the products in its alert violate ASTM F3363-19, the “Standard Specification for Unvented Liquid/Gel Fuel-Burning Portable Devices,” which is aimed at pool fires and flame jetting. A burner designed to that standard is a different starting point from an open bowl you fill and light in the same spot.
- The fuel container. Health Canada advises using fuel containers with a flame arrestor, which it describes as “a screen that is built into the container opening” that lets liquid flow while reducing the risk of flame traveling back into the container.
- The fuel format. Health Canada lists non-refillable fuel canisters as a safer alternative to pourable fuel.
None of those removes the hazard of an open flame indoors. They do change how many steps in the chain above can fail. If you own an open-bowl product of the type the CPSC describes, its advice is to stop using it and dispose of it, not to use it more carefully.
What the refueling routine should look like
This is not a how-to that makes the task safe. It is the set of conditions the regulators and fire services name, in order:
- Put the flame out on purpose. Use the snuffer or method your manual specifies. Health Canada recommends using a snuffer tool.
- Let the burner cool completely. Follow the manual’s minimum and treat it as a floor.
- Bring the fuel bottle over only after both. Keep it capped and away from the burner until then. Health Canada advises storing fuels “tightly capped when not refuelling and away from any flames.”
- Use only the fuel your manual names, in the amount it names. The East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service advises using a funnel and following the manual on how much fuel to use.
- Check for spills before relighting. The same fire service advises checking for spilled fuel before lighting and cleaning up any spill right away, making sure no fuel remains on your hands or lighter.
- Keep people back. Children, pets and other adults stay well clear of the burner and the bottle during refueling and lighting.
If any of those cannot be met, for example the manual is missing or the burner is an open bowl of the kind the CPSC warns about, the refuel should not happen.
If it goes wrong
If burning fuel reaches a person or spreads beyond the burner, get everyone away from the fire and call 911. Do not carry a burning burner, and do not improvise with whatever liquid is to hand. The extinguishing method for your unit is the one in its manual, and your local fire department is the authority on anything beyond it.
Any burn from a fuel fire should be assessed by a medical professional. This page is general safety information, not medical advice.
The indoor air risk does not pause while you refuel
Refueling is the burn hazard, but an ethanol burner is still an unvented flame the rest of the time. Its combustion products, including carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion, go straight into the room. Nothing about an ethanol flame warns you when CO is building up, and on vent-free gas units the oxygen depletion sensor responds to falling oxygen, not to carbon monoxide. We treat a working CO alarm in the home as a condition of running any unvented flame; our guide to the CO alarm as a condition of use explains why.
Who should think twice before owning one
A burner that has to be refueled by hand, in a room, in the evening, puts a flammable liquid and an open flame close to whoever is in that room. The household questions we apply to vent-free gas appliances in our household test for who should not use a ventless fireplace apply here with extra weight: young children, pets, anyone with limited mobility who could not move away quickly, and anyone who might refuel while tired or after drinking.
If the reason you want an ethanol fireplace is the look of a flame, an electric fireplace removes both the fuel and the refueling. Our comparison of ventless gas vs electric fireplaces sets out what you give up and what you gain when nothing burns.
Frequently asked questions
Why is refueling an ethanol fireplace dangerous?
Because fuel poured into a burner that is still lit or still hot can ignite and cause flame jetting, where the flame travels up the fuel stream and throws burning liquid out. The CPSC says these fuels burn at over 1,600°F and can cause third degree burns in less than one second.
How do I know an ethanol fireplace is out before refueling?
You cannot rely on sight. Both the CPSC and Health Canada say small alcohol flames can be hard to see. Extinguish the flame deliberately with the method in your manual, then let the burner cool completely before any fuel comes near it.
How long should an ethanol fireplace cool before refueling?
There is no universal figure. Health Canada says to wait until the firepot has cooled completely, a UK fire service advises at least 10 minutes, and manufacturers set their own minimums. Follow your manual and treat its number as the minimum.
What is flame jetting?
Health Canada describes it as what happens when fuel is poured into a firepot that is still burning or hot: the flame travels up the fuel stream and burning fuel is violently expelled from the container. The CPSC calls the result an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid.
Are gel fuel canisters safer than pourable ethanol?
For refueling specifically, Health Canada lists non-refillable fuel canisters as a safer alternative to pourable fuels. They are still an open flame indoors and still release combustion products into the room.