Government recalls nearly 38M fire extinguishers made in North Carolina

MEBANE, N.C. — The federal government is launching a massive fire extinguisher recall, covering nearly 38 million Kidde extinguishers.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says 37.8 million fire extinguishers might not work during an emergency.

Kidde extinguishers are manufactured in Mebane, North Carolina.

The company said they can clog or require excessive force to activate. The nozzle can also come off and cause an impact hazard.

There have been nearly 400 reports of extinguishers malfunctioning, resulting in 16 injuries and one death.

The extinguishers were involved in the death of a 22-year-old in Pennsylvania. Brendan Rosko crashed into a tree in 2014 and his car started to burn. Police arrived minutes later and tried to use two of the recalled extinguishers, but they didn’t work.

The recalled extinguishers date back decades and some models have been recalled before for other issues.

The recall involves two styles of Kidde fire extinguishers: Plastic handle fire extinguishers and push-button Pindicator fire extinguishers.

The products were sold at Menards, Montgomery Ward, Sears, The Home Depot, Walmart and other department, home and hardware stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com, ShopKidde.com and other online retailers for between $12 and $50 and for about $200 for model XL 5MR. These fire extinguishers were also sold with commercial trucks, recreational vehicles, personal watercraft and boats.

In response to the recall, Kidde said in a statement that "customer safety is our first priority" and that it working with authorities to "ensure that affected fire extinguishers are replaced as quickly as possible."

Customers can contact Kidde for a free replacement and instructions on how to return recalled models. The list of recalled models is available on the company's website, as well as the website of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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