Short answer: For a normal shutdown, here is how to put out ethanol fireplace flames: close the burner with the lid, slider or snuffer that came with the unit, using its long tool so your hand stays away from the flame. Never use water and never blow it out. Then treat the burner as lit until it is cold, because ethanol flames can be hard to see. If fire is burning outside the burner, on a spill, a tipped unit or someone’s clothing, that is no longer a shutdown. Get people out, call 911, and use a multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher only if it is safe.
The combustion reason comes first
An ethanol fireplace has no flue and no vent. It burns fuel using the air in your room and leaves its combustion byproducts in that room, the same basic trade-off as any vent-free appliance. Quebec’s building regulator, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), warns that these units carry a risk of burns, fire and carbon monoxide poisoning, and it calls a CO detector essential. A working CO alarm is a condition of lighting the fire, not an optional extra. Our page on the CO alarm as a condition of use covers that in detail.
The fire risk is just as plain. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in its consumer alert of December 19, 2024 on liquid-fuel fire pits, states that these fuels burn with flame temperatures over 1,600°F and can cause third degree burns in less than one second. That is why the shutdown method matters. There is very little margin for a fumble.
Two different situations: a shutdown and a fire
Most pages on this topic answer only the first question. The reader who typed “do I throw water on it?” may be facing the second one, so here they are side by side.
| What is happening | What it is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The flame is in the burner and you are done for the evening | Normal shutdown | Close the burner with the supplied tool. Wait for it to cool fully. |
| You closed the lid but are not sure the flame is out | Normal shutdown, unconfirmed | Keep the lid closed, keep away, and treat it as lit. Do not open it to check, and do not refuel. |
| Fuel spilled and is not burning | Spill | Keep ignition sources away, do not plug or unplug anything, wipe it up as the manual says. |
| Fuel spilled and is burning, or the unit tipped | Fire, not a shutdown | Alert everyone, call 911, use an extinguisher only if all the safety conditions below are met, otherwise leave. |
| Someone’s clothing is on fire | Life-threatening emergency | Stop, drop and roll, or smother with a blanket. Call 911. |
| Flames have reached furniture, curtains or the room | House fire | Get out and call 911 from outside. |
How to put out ethanol fireplace flames in a normal shutdown
The method depends on the burner, so your own unit’s manual is the document that counts. What follows is the general pattern that manufacturers describe.
- Use the supplied tool, not your hand. Manual burners come with a lid, a sliding cover or a snuffer, usually worked by a long rod. EcoSmart Fire, an ethanol burner manufacturer, tells owners in its support guide for the BK5 burner to use the hook at the end of the lighting rod to move the burner slider to the closed position. Its ethanol burner safety instructions, which we read on October 2, 2026, say to always use the lighting rod provided with the appliance to open or close the shut-off mechanism.
- Close it fully in one movement. A partly closed cover can leave a flame burning at the edge, where it is hardest to see.
- Leave it closed. Closing the burner works by cutting off air. Lifting the lid early to look lets air back in.
- Electronic or automatic units switch off through their own control, as their manual describes. The same cool-down rules still apply.
Confirm it is out, then wait
EcoSmart’s safety instructions warn that the flame may be difficult to see and say “do not assume appliance is off.” They tell owners to shut the appliance off and let it cool for 60 minutes before refueling. The RBQ’s general advice is a minimum of 15 minutes before refilling. That gap between a regulator’s minimum and one manufacturer’s figure is the reason to follow your own manual’s number, and to use the longer one if you are unsure.
Refueling a burner that is still lit or still hot is the injury pattern behind the CPSC alert: a small flame nobody can see ignites the fuel as it is poured, and the CPSC describes an explosion that propels flames and burning liquid onto the person and bystanders.
What you must never use
Water. Do not pour water, a drink or anything else into a burning ethanol burner. Artflame, a retailer of ethanol fireplaces, states in its published safety instructions: “Never try to extinguish the flame with water.” Throwing liquid at a burning liquid fuel risks splashing burning fuel out of the burner and onto the floor, the furniture or you.
Your breath. Blowing is not a shutdown method. It moves air into the flame rather than removing it, and it puts your face directly over the burner.
More fuel. Never top up a burner to “see if it is still going.” That is the flame-jetting scenario the CPSC describes.
Moving the unit. The RBQ says to extinguish the fireplace and empty it of fuel before moving it. Carrying a lit or recently lit burner invites a spill onto a hot surface.
A fan or a draft. EcoSmart says to use its burners only where they are protected from the draft effects of cross ventilation. Pointing a fan at the burner to cool it pushes the flame around instead.
Improvised covers. A plate, a pot lid or a book is not the snuffer. Use the part the manufacturer made for that burner, because it is the part designed to seal that opening.
If fire gets outside the burner
This is where the question “how do I put it out?” changes into “should I be fighting this at all?”
Have the right extinguisher before the first fire. The RBQ says it is important to have a fully operational portable fire extinguisher and a smoke detector. EcoSmart’s safety instructions specify a multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher, labeled ABC in the US. The US Fire Administration explains that Class B extinguishers are for combustible and flammable liquids, and that multipurpose extinguishers labeled “A-B-C” can be used on most types of home fires.
Only fight it if every condition is true. The US Fire Administration’s extinguisher guidance, which we read on October 2, 2026, says to try only if others have been alerted, the fire department has been called, you are physically able, the fire is small and contained to one object or surface, you are safe from toxic smoke, and you have a clear way out. Otherwise, its instruction is to alert others, leave the building and call 911.
If you do use it, USFA’s method is PASS: pull the pin, aim low at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever slowly and evenly, and sweep side to side.
If spilled fuel has not caught fire, the RBQ says to keep ignition sources such as cigarettes and matches away and to avoid plugging in or unplugging electrical appliances. EcoSmart says to wipe up spills immediately with a dry cloth followed by a cloth dampened with water, and to let the area dry completely before lighting the burner.
If a person catches fire or is burned
Clothing on fire: USFA’s instruction is to stop, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands, and roll over and over or back and forth until the fire is out. If the person cannot do that, cover them with a blanket to smother the flames. Call 911.
A burn: USFA’s first aid guidance is to put the burn in cool water for 3 to 5 minutes, cover it with a clean, dry cloth, and not apply creams, ointments, sprays or home remedies. It says to see a doctor or call 911 if the burn is larger than your palm, and when in doubt, to call 911. This is general first aid information; emergency responders and your doctor take over from there.
What a lid cannot fix
A good snuffer solves the normal shutdown. It does not solve the hazards that make shutdown dangerous in the first place.
- The invisible flame. A lid you believe is closed over a flame you cannot see is still a burner you might refuel. Time and the manual’s cool-down period are the only real check.
- The air in the room. Putting the flame out stops new combustion products being made. It does not clear the ones already in the room, which is another reason the CO alarm matters. Our explainer on how carbon monoxide builds up from an unvented flame covers the mechanism for gas units, and the principle is the same.
- The product itself. The CPSC’s December 2024 alert told consumers to stop using and dispose of fire pits designed to burn pooled alcohol or other liquid fuel, including products sold as tabletop fire pits, miniature fireplaces or portable fires, and linked them to two deaths and at least 60 injuries since 2019. If your unit is one of those products, the safest way to put it out is to stop using it.
If you are still choosing, and the shutdown routine above sounds like more vigilance than your household can promise every evening, an appliance that burns nothing may suit you better. Our comparison of ventless gas and electric fireplaces explains what changes when there is no flame at all.
How we wrote this page
We have not lit, extinguished or tested any ethanol fireplace. This page is built from the CPSC, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, the US Fire Administration, EcoSmart Fire’s published safety instructions and Artflame’s published safety instructions, each named where it is used. We do not sell ethanol fireplaces, fuel or extinguishers. Your own unit’s manual takes priority over anything here.
FAQ
Can I put out an ethanol fireplace with water?
No. Use the lid, slider or snuffer supplied with the burner. Artflame’s safety instructions say never to try to extinguish the flame with water, and for a fire outside the burner, EcoSmart specifies a multipurpose dry chemical (ABC) extinguisher instead.
Is it safe to blow out an ethanol fireplace?
No. Blowing adds air to the flame and puts your face over the burner. Close the burner with the long tool that came with it, as manufacturers such as EcoSmart instruct.
How long should I wait after putting it out before refueling?
Follow your manual. The RBQ gives a minimum of 15 minutes, while EcoSmart tells owners of its burners to let the appliance cool for 60 minutes and warns that the flame may be difficult to see.
What if the flame will not go out after I close the lid?
Keep it closed, keep everyone back and do not refuel or open it to look. If fire appears outside the burner, treat it as a fire: alert everyone, call 911, and only use an ABC extinguisher if the US Fire Administration’s safety conditions are all met.
What kind of fire extinguisher should I keep near an ethanol fireplace?
EcoSmart specifies a multipurpose dry chemical type, labeled ABC in the US. The US Fire Administration notes that Class B extinguishers cover flammable liquids and that A-B-C multipurpose units handle most home fires. The RBQ adds that the extinguisher must be fully operational.