Heaters, Riding Mowers Recalled for Fire Risk
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced three recalls to tied fire hazards.
About 4,560 units of a portable, electric baseboard heater and about 19,640 units of a portable electric tower heater are being recalled out of concern they can overheat and pose a fire risk, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. Its latest announcements also include an expanded recall of 2012 and 2013 Toro® Z Master® Commercial 2000 Series ZRT riding mowers because their idler pulley can rub against the mower's fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.
The baseboard heater is the Touch Point brand convection heater with model BBC-1500 and date code 0611 that were sold at Meijer Distribution Inc. stores from September 2011 through February 2013 for about $50. Meijer has received two reports of overheating incidents, including a fire that resulted in minor property damage, but no injuries have been reported. Consumers should contact Meijer at 800-927-8699 or via www.meijer.com (click on Product Recalls under the Help section).
Consumers can contact Toro about the riding mowers by calling toll-free 855-493-0090 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT weekdays or via www.toro.com (click on Product Recall Information on the bottom right-hand side of the page for more information). About 3,760 of the mowers have been recalled in the United States and Canada, up from 2,630 units the previously were recalled, according to CPSC. They were sold be Toro dealers nationwide from January 2012 through April 2013 for between $7,700 and $8,700.
The largest recall involves Optimus Tower Quartz Heaters. Family Dollar Stores has received 10 reports of overheating, including some reports of temperature knobs melting, but no received reports of injury, fire, or property damage, according to the federal agency. The heaters were sold at Family Dollar Stores from September 2012 through December 2012 for about $35. Contact the company at 800-547-0359 or via www.familydollar.com, then click on Product Recalls in the Help section at the bottom of the page.