AUSTIN, Texas (WXIN) – More than 60,000 toy guns are being recalled because the battery can overheat and ignite, posing a fire hazard.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall involves Gel Blaster SURGE Model 1.0 toy guns. These gel blasters were sold at a variety of stores nationwide from August 2020 through October 2021.
The gel blasters have a white body and are gray around the handle. The word “SURGE” is printed in orange on the side. A pineapple-shaped hopper that holds the gellets attaches on the top and a black on/off switch is located at the back of the blaster.
So far, Gel Blaster LLC has received 30 reports of smoking or fire near the handle of the gel blaster where the lithium-ion battery is located. One woman submitted a report of this happening to her 12-year-old son’s toy gun.
In the report published to SaferProducts.gov, the woman said the gun caught fire overnight while they were charging it. They plugged it in to charge around 10 p.m. and their smoke detectors went off about six hours later.
When they checked on it, the gun was engulfed in flames on the kitchen counter, the report reads. They were able to get the fire out themselves, and the only impact to the home was soot and smoke damage.
The user said they cleaned the house and replaced the blackened air filters, but ended up having to hire a restoration company to clean the air to get rid of the burnt plastic smell.
So far, the CPSC reports no injuries have been reported. Anyone with the recalled toy gun should stop using it and contact Gel Blaster for a prepaid mailer to return the product and receive a full refund.
Anyone with questions can contact Gel Blaster toll-free at 844-435-5387 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, or by email at recall@gelblaster.com,
