Fires, burns and a death spur recall of 1.5 million hand warmers sold by Amazon, Walmart

About 1.5 million hand warmers sold online by Amazon and Walmart have been recalled following reports of fires, burn injuries and one death, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Thursday.

The Ocoopa rechargeable lithium-ion battery hand warmers were sold online from September 2018 through May 2026. The lithium-ion batteries in the product "can overheat and ignite," according to the recall.

The manufacturer, Ocoopa Direct, received 1,480 reports of the hand warmers overheating, leading to 15 fires and 350 burn injuries, according to the CPSC announcement. That includes the death of an 83-year-old in San Diego in February.

The hand warmers feature a USB-C port to charge the lithium-ion batteries, which are built into the product.

The models being recalled are: UT3053, UT3056, ZLS-118, ZLS-118S, ZLS-118D, H01 and H01(PD.) The model number can be found on the underside of the hand warmers.

There has been a "big increase" in lithium-ion battery-related incidents this year, said Nassau County's chief fire marshal Michael Uttaro, with several involving battery damage in tablets and cell phones.

"If you are charging anything inside of your home, especially with these types of batteries, make sure you have working smoke detectors," he said. "Several of the incidents we've had this year where a fire occurred, the residents were awoken to sound of their smoke alarm going off."

For lithium-ion-powered products that create heat, like hand warmers or electric blankets, Uttaro recommends not charging them overnight. Monitoring these items, charging them on a hard surface (rather than a bed or sofa) and unplugging them as soon as the battery is fully charged can prevent any potential fire hazard, he added.

Affected consumers are urged to stop using the product immediately and contact Ocoopa Direct for details on how to receive a refund.

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.