About JHY Design Fire Pits
JHY Design, operating under parent company New Image Gifts Limited of Aurora, Colorado, sells an extensive lineup of bioethanol tabletop fireplaces on Amazon, Wayfair, and its own website at jhy-design.com. Its products include a 13.5-inch rectangular tabletop fire bowl with four-sided glass and a three-burner configuration, an 18-inch large rectangular tabletop fire pit with three combustion chambers, a cylindrical 16-inch tabletop fireplace with two-sided oval glass, and a compact 10.5-inch portable model available in black, stainless steel, clear glass, and white rock finishes.
All JHY Design tabletop fire pits burn bioethanol, isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol, or spirit fuel — and all are marketed for indoor use including living rooms, dining rooms, patios, restaurants, and cafés.
The 15-Minute Cooling Rule — And Why It Fails
JHY Design’s own Amazon product listing includes the following safety instruction: “Allow the burner to cool for at least 15 minutes first before refilling. Never refill a burner while the fireplace is running or still hot.” This guidance is well-intentioned — but it contains a fatal flaw the brand does not acknowledge.
Bioethanol and isopropyl alcohol burn with a nearly colorless, nearly invisible flame [1]. A user cannot tell whether the burner is “still running” before the 15-minute wait begins — because they cannot see the flame. Instructing someone to wait until the fire is out before refueling is meaningless when the user has no reliable way to confirm the fire is actually out.
When Fire Pits Go Commercial
JHY Design specifically targets restaurants and cafés as a sales channel, marketing its fire pits as tools for creating “a memorable dining experience for your patrons.” That commercial use context raises serious additional concerns: restaurant employees may handle refueling quickly between sittings, with less time to wait and with customers nearby when the refueling occurs.
If a flame jetting event occurs at a restaurant table, the victims are not just the person who poured the fuel — they are the diners seated within 15 feet, who had no knowledge of the product or its risks and no choice in the matter. That scenario expands the potential scope of injuries and legal liability significantly beyond a typical consumer product case.
What the Government Has Determined
In December 2024, the CPSC issued a sweeping consumer alert declaring all alcohol-burning tabletop fire pits “extremely dangerous” and urging consumers to immediately stop using them and sellers to stop selling them [1]. The CPSC found these products violate voluntary safety standard ASTM F3363-19, which was specifically designed to prevent the pool fire and flame jetting hazards inherent in pouring liquid alcohol into an open container and igniting it in the same location.
Lawsuits have been filed across the country against manufacturers, importers, and online platforms that continued selling these products after the CPSC’s warnings. JHY Design’s widespread multi-channel distribution — Amazon, Wayfair, and direct-to-consumer sales — means its products have reached a large and varied consumer base that may not have been adequately warned.
Can I File a Lawsuit?
Consumers, restaurant patrons, or bystanders who were burned while near a JHY Design tabletop fire pit — whether in a home, a restaurant, or any other setting — may have significant legal options against the manufacturer, retailer, or commercial establishment. A class action lawsuit could allow affected individuals to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, permanent scarring or disfigurement, lost wages, and other related losses. Contact an attorney promptly to have your case evaluated.
References
1. https://www.cpsc.gov/Warnings/2025/Consumer-Alert-Stop-Using-Alcohol-or-Other-Liquid-Burning-Fire-Pits-That-Violate-Voluntary-Standards-and-Present-Flame-Jetting-and-Fire-Hazards-Two-Deaths-and-Dozens-of-Serious-Burn-Injuries-Reported