A tabletop fire pit sold on Amazon exploded into a fireball, leaving a California Navy veteran with catastrophic, permanent scarring, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the online retail giant.
Anthony Trevino, 31, of San Diego, claims in the suit that the fire pit was defective and burst without warning in what the complaint describes as a “flame jetting” explosion.
“I never imagined a product sold to me as ‘safe and easy’ would do this to me in my own home,” said Trevino, a former US Navy helicopter search-and-rescue swimmer.
“My whole life, my job was to pull people out of danger. I can’t undo what happened to me, but I can hold Amazon accountable to ensure they stop selling products that are so dangerous they can alter the course of someone’s life,” he added.
The lawsuit says Trevino sustained third-degree burns to his face, neck and upper body.
Photos cited in the case show extensive burn injuries across his chest and arms, with areas of brown and pink discoloration. His face was also injured, and dark markings were visible on his neck.
Trevino’s scarring is permanent, the filing alleges. He spent weeks in the hospital and suffered nerve damage that the lawsuit says affects every part of his daily life.
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According to the complaint, Trevino bought a Colsen “Tabletop Rubbing Alcohol Outdoor Fire Pit” on Amazon in February 2021, along with two bottles of medical-grade isopropyl alcohol. The listing allegedly promoted the fire pit as “Easy & Safe to Use,” with the seller representing the product as safe.
In September 2025, Trevino was refilling the fire pit on his apartment balcony and assumed the flame had gone out.
However, alcohol flame is invisible when it burns low. So when Trevino poured the filler, the flame exploded, according to the lawsuit, hard enough that decorative lighting and artificial turf was melted.
Amazon should have known of the dangers, the lawsuit claimed. Such tabletop fire pits were banned in countries like Australia and Canada, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled around 89,500 Colsen-branded fire pits in 2024.
Amazon allegedly sent recall notices that only warned the product “may not meet current safety standards” instead of flagging the potential for severe burns. The company still sells the dangerous pits, claimed the lawsuit.
Trevino’s attorneys argued that Amazon will not be able to use the defense that it’s simply a distributor not liable for products sold due to a California ruling.
“Amazon decides what goes on its shelves, takes a cut of every sale and they even told Anthony which fuel to buy,” said attorney Jeremy Robinson. “When you stock the shelf and ring the register, you own what happens to the innocent people whose lives are permanently altered.”
The California Post reached out to Amazon for comment.
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