WARNING: Some images in this story may be disturbing for sensitive readers. A San Diego man who served as a U.S. Navy helicopter search-and-rescue swimmer is suing Amazon and two companies involved in the manufacture of a tabletop fire pit after he suffered catastrophic third-degree burns to his face, neck and upper body. Anthony Trevino was attempting to refill the tabletop fire pit, which is fueled by isopropyl alcohol, when an incident known as “flame jetting” occurred, according to his attorney, Jeremy Robinson. The lawsuit describes flame jetting as occurring when a flame travels back up a stream of liquid fuel into its container. “Basically like a flame thrower or fireball and gave him grotesque burns over most of his body,” Robinson said. Robinson, who is representing Trevino in the lawsuit, said the fuel burns at more than 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. “Third degree burns go all the way down to the nerve level on the skin so they are very painful and very difficult to treat long term,” he said. The lawsuit names Amazon and two companies involved in the manufacture of the tabletop mini fire pits. Robinson alleges Amazon bears some responsibility because its website made the product publicly available to consumers, while the company processed the transaction and profited from it. In a statement released by the law firm representing him, Trevino reflected on his injuries and his former role rescuing others. “My whole life, my job was to pull people out of danger. I can’t undo what happened to me,” Trevino said. Amazon responded to NBC San Diego’s request for an interview with a statement saying the products had been recalled and were no longer available on its website. The statement is below: “Colsen recalled these products in October 2024 and we removed the recalled products in question and notified customers. These products are no longer available for purchase on Amazon.” In 2024, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urged consumers not to buy or use these types of fire pits, identifying them in a consumer alert as extremely dangerous. Robinson said the danger posed by the product was not obvious and that it came with no warning on the product. He said Trevino is making progress in his recovery but still has a long way to go. “He’s doing the best he can right now to try to get through this but it’s very difficult for him,” Robinson said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less