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Georgia-based Napa Home & Garden, which sold bottled burnable candle fuel—among its other décor offerings—has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, The Walls Street Journal reported. The company is facing dozens of lawsuits by burn victims.
Napa Home & Garden Inc. sold a clear, slow-burning gel used to fill up decorative fire pots—a summertime staple for outdoor patios and decks—that has been blamed for sending dozens of people to the hospital after they were splattered with flaming gel.
Company executives said that because incidents related to the fire pots will likely “result in huge litigation expenses and massive customer returns, [the company] cannot expect to operate for much longer,” according to documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta. Court papers indicate that incident-related insurance claims could total more than 70.
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