A-Liter multi-purpose lighters, kind not given
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Jan 23, 2013. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Jan 23, 2013the latest report was made
- Jan 23, 2013the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- A-Liter
- Maker
- BEACON POWER INC.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Multi-purpose lighters, kind not givenCPSC’s product type: Multi-purpose Lighters, Not Specified (code 1690), in Fuel, Lighters and Fireworks: Lighters & Matches
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| January 2013 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Jan 23, 2013, sent to the company Feb 7, 2013, published by CPSC Mar 1, 2013
The product, in the report: From the distributors website: A-Liter® Beacon Power offers a cost-effective and versatile line of products from A-Liter® A-Liter® Multi-Purpose Lighters The A-Liter® is a quality refillable utility lighter for the value-conscious. Available in a single, twin or triple back This stylish model is subject to the same exact testing and quality assurance as Beacon’s premium line
At about 2000 on 21 Jan ‘13 I lit a fire in my wood stove. The lighter was placed about 8’ from the stove to be used to ignite the next fire. This lighter had been in use since about 1 Dec 2012 and was approximately 1/2 empty. It had been purchased at Dollar General. I have been storing lighters there since purchasing this home in Jan 2006 without incident. At about 2130 we heard an explosion in the living room. It sounded like a small caliber gun being discharged in our concrete and steel dome home!
We had previously noticed that some of our firewood had to be discarded due to someone having shot into the wood. Shells were clearly visible in the bark a few pieces of firewood. I assumed we had grabbed a piece of firewood with a shell in it and the shell had exploded in the wood stove.
After removing family and pets to a safe place, I checked adjacent rooms to see if there was any sign of a shot. Not finding anything, I cut the air to the stove to smother the fire and waited. I examined the stove from a distance to see if any smoke was escaping from a new hole. When none was found, I got closer and reexamined it. The stove was intact. I searched the room for the source of the explosion and found what was left of the A-Liter about 6’ from it’s point of origin! It might have traveled further but it hit a stone wall in a corner, fell to the stone floor, and was stopped.
I did NOT feel safe having these in my home any longer. As I had bought a two pack, the unused one was removed to a rocky area outdoors with no vegetation or other combustibles, away from the goat, and left them outside overnight.
On 01/22/2013 at approximately 1700, I called the Bloomfield Fire Department dispatch and explained what happened and asked if they would take both lighters and safely destroy or safely dispose of the unused one and examine the one that exploded. They had a Fire Fighter meet me at the FD. I turned in the exploded lighter parts and the unused lighter.
The A-Liter that exploded was separated into an “V” shape and a separate part that had been the tank. Both sections had wires. The “V” was missing the metal sheath from the end that lights. The screws that hold the two halves together were blown out and have not yet been located. It was still joined at the tip by the interior molded plastic. There were no identifying logo’s or manufacturers stamps on the pieces we recovered. If I hadn’t purchased a two pack, I would have been unable to contact anyone.
I can only imagine what would have happened if the tank had been full or if it had landed on burnables such as carpet, furniture, or paper or if it had exploded when we were asleep or outdoors.
This is unacceptable and unsafe! Beacon Power’s website indicates this product is Made in China.
- Model
- A-Liter
- Bought from
- Dollar General, New Mexico
- Bought
- Nov 28, 2012, about then
- Where
- Bloomfield, New Mexico: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 60, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand A-Liter, made or sold by BEACON POWER INC.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.