At FirePitLawsuits.com, our mission is clear: to research, investigate, and expose the growing dangers associated with fire pots, pourable fuels, and portable burners that have caused devastating burn and explosion injuries across the country. Many of these alcohol- and ethanol-fueled products remain on the market despite well-documented risks of flame jetting and catastrophic ignition.
These independent national investigations are being conducted by David P. Willis, a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer and founder of the Willis Law Firm in Houston, Texas. Willis, who has devoted more than four decades to investigating and litigating product liability defects, lack of warnings, explosions, and catastrophic injury cases, is now conducting independent research into fire pit explosions, pourable fuel burns, and flammable vapor incidents reported across the United States.
Licensed in Texas and New York, and collaborating with local counsel when appropriate, Willis and his firm are recreating, reconstructing accidents involving ethanol, butane, propane, natural gas, and gasoline-based fuels to identify why these fire pits explode, the design flaws, inadequate warnings, and safety failures that put consumers at risk. Each investigation is conducted with the same precision, technical analysis, and public-safety focus that have defined Willis’s career for over 40 years.
David P. Willis grew up in Waco, Texas, and earned his B.A. from Baylor University in 1978 and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1982. Following law school, he was selected as one of only eighteen attorneys statewide to serve as a Briefing Attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, where he analyzed complex appellate cases and product-liability appeals. There he saw firsthand how often manufacturers obscure evidence of dangerous defects.
That experience shaped his professional mission. Since 1984, Willis has devoted his career to investigating and litigating catastrophic injury and product-defect cases nationwide. In 1988, he earned Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a credential held by fewer than 2% of Texas attorneys.
Throughout his career, he has worked on national litigation and investigations involving automobile defects, fuel-system failures, tire explosions, rollover crashes, defective products, and industrial burn incidents—cases that have contributed to public-safety reforms and consumer awareness.
These credentials reflect decades of professional integrity and a lifelong commitment to product safety, consumer justice, and injury prevention.
Ethanol and alcohol-based fire pits—often marketed as “decorative tabletop fireplaces” or “bio-ethanol burners”—can become deadly in seconds. Victims have suffered severe burns while refueling what appeared to be an extinguished flame. The invisible vapors ignite, sending a jet of fire from the bottle or container toward the user.
Mr. Willis and his team are actively testing, researching and re-constructing these incidents under safe conditions, including reports of fires and explosions involving Colsen, FLIKRFIRE, Five Below, and similar alcohol-fueled tabletop products. Many were sold without visible-flame warnings or proper flame arrestors. Willis’s investigation centers on whether these devices failed essential design standards, violated fire safety standards and whether manufacturers ignored prior warnings or CPSC recommendations.
These tragedies are not mere accidents—they are the result of poor design and cost-driven decision-making. The goal of these investigations is to raise awareness, identify unsafe designs, and push for the nationwide recall of these hazardous products before more injuries occur.
David Willis’s background in explosion and fire investigations spans more than four decades and multiple fuel types—including butane, propane, natural gas, gasoline, and ethanol. Many share a common cause: a small, preventable defect that leads to catastrophic consequences.
Many of Willis’s prior investigations have also involved butane explosions of tire where repair technicians or consumers were seriously injured when butane- or propane-based tire inflator products ignited during the repair process. These aerosol sealants—marketed as temporary quick-fix type of tire inflators—contained highly flammable propellants. A single spark or heat source during the tire repair or mounting process caused violent explosions, leading to catastrophic burns, total blindness, traumatic amputation of a limb and blast-related injuries. Willis is proud that he was able to force the major makers of these products to stop the sale of the millions of cans of these dangerous products and CHANGE THEIR FORMULAS to make the new versions safe for the consumers. Willis had multiple tires and containers tested and exploded to better learn of the problem and ultimately the solution.
Other gas explosion injury lawsuits involved:
Each of these investigations revealed the same pattern—corporate decisions valuing cost over safety—and reinforced the need for greater oversight and engineering accountability.
Today, the Willis Law Firm is engaged in independent research and analysis of incidents involving fire pits, tabletop fireplaces, and portable-fuel container explosions. This work is focused on injuries from fire pit explosions, defective product design, inadequate warnings, dangerous outdoor patio heaters, and numerous safety standard violations that have led to numerous injuries and deaths across the nation.
The firm’s ongoing research includes:
This research is designed to support injury case evaluations, warnings, and potential safety reform, with the end-goal is the recall of all of these products, until they can be made safe.
Burn and explosion injuries are among the most devastating personal tragedies. They often result in lifelong scars, multiple surgeries, and emotional trauma for victims and their families. Through FirePitLawsuits.com, David Willis hopes to raise awareness of these preventable dangers and encourage safer product design and stronger federal oversight.
Drawing on more than 40 years of experience in defective products, poor warnings, fire, chemical, and explosion investigations, Willis applies his expertise to evaluate ignition sources, vapor behavior, containment systems, and warning effectiveness. Whether the hazard involves ethanol vapors, propane leaks, or natural gas flashback, his work remains focused on understanding the failures and promoting prevention.
The Willis Law Firm, based in Houston, Texas, conducts research and collaborates with attorneys and safety experts nationwide in compliance with all state-bar rules.
Every investigation aims to:
Through FirePitLawsuits.com, Willis continues his long-standing effort to make manufacturers and retailers aware that preventable fires and explosions demand engineering solutions, not excuses.
If you have experienced a fire pot or portable-fuel explosion, or want to share information about dangerous ethanol, butane, propane, or gasoline-based products, contact FirePitLawsuits.com to help support this national investigation and public-safety effort.
Early reporting and documentation help identify unsafe designs and may prevent future tragedies.
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FirePitLawsuits.com – National investigations of alcohol-fueled fire pit explosions and burn injuries. * Willis is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law (since 1988), certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.Representing injured clients nationwide through association with local attorneys in compliance with each state’s bar rules. Licensed in Texas and New York. Willis Law Firm, 5005 Riverway Drive, Suite 160, Houston, Tx. – Principal Place of Business – All meetings by appointment only.
Acknowledgment & Thank You – Certain Safety Images and Public-Education Materials, Alerts, and Warnings referenced on this site are courtesy of Health Canada and the CPSC.
