Release Date: March 28, 2024
Release Number: 24-170
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the risk of burns and smoke inhalation associated with the use of Elide brand fire extinguishing balls. These products can fail to extinguish a fire, which could lead to serious injury and death.
The products can fail to effectively disperse fire retardant chemicals and fail to extinguish a fire. CPSC evaluated the products with reference to the standard test methods of UL 299 Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers and UL 711 Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers, which are voluntary standards for testing fire suppression devices. The products do not meet the requirements of UL 299 Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers and UL 711 Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers. The Subject Products failed to extinguish fires under the test methods prescribed by the standards. In addition, the products do not have a pressure gauge or pressure indicator, a locking device to reduce the risk of unintentional discharge, a self-closing valve for intermittent discharge, or a nozzle to direct the discharge, which makes it difficult to extinguish a fire and poses a significant risk of personal safety.
At this time, Elide Fire USA has not agreed to recall these fire extinguishing balls or offer a remedy to consumers.
Elide Fire USA sells three models of the fire extinguishing balls to consumers on elidefireus.com. The ELB01 and ELB02-1 models are made of red plastic, with a diameter of either 4 or 6 inches and weigh either 1.5 or 3 pounds. The ELB02-2 model is made of blue plastic, with a diameter of 4 inches and a weight of 1.5 pounds. The products also include a stand that can be mounted to the wall. The products have a label wrapped around the front of the product with the Elide Fire logo. Elide Fire USA sold the fire extinguishing balls for between $95 and $120. This warning includes all three models.
CPSC urges consumers not to purchase or sell these fire extinguishing balls.
Consumers should stop using and dispose of these products at either a local fire department or a hazardous waste disposal facility. Consumers should only purchase fire extinguishers that meet both the UL 299 and UL 711 safety standards and are marked with those certifications.
Pictures available here: https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2024/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-Elide-Fire-Extinguishing-Balls-Due-to-Failure-to-Extinguish-Fires-and-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-or-Death
Report any incidents involving injury or product defect to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.
Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.
