Accident prompts call to ban gel-fuel
Michael Hubbard, 14, of Riverhead remains in critical condition at Stony Brook Hospital's Pediatric ICU after FireGel citronella fuel exploded at a family gathering May 28. Credit: Handout
The severe burning of a 14-year-old boy in Riverhead last month has triggered a call for a ban on the sale of gel-fuel in Suffolk County.
The clear fuel, which is poured into decorative fire pots and lit, has been linked to several reports of burns nationwide, including the May 28 incident in Riverhead in which Michael Hubbard suffered third-degree burns when FIREGEL Gel Fuel exploded as a cousin lit it at a family gathering.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Product Safety Commission announced that a Duluth, Ga. company is recalling the fuel and a similar product.
"We cannot allow another family to suffer the same devastation as Michael's," said Suffolk Legis. Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), an acknowledged friend of Hubbard's family who proposed "Michael's Law" on Tuesday.
County legislators are expected to hold a public hearing on the measure next month.
Hubbard was in an induced coma Thursday at Stony Brook University Medical Center. Earlier this month, a doctor said she was "cautiously optimistic" about his recovery.
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