Fire on Continental Flight Spurs the Recall of Air Purifier

The personal air-purifying device that ignited aboard a Continental Airlines flight has been pulled from the market by the distributor.

Flight 1065 made an emergency landing in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday evening after a man's Fresh Air Buddy personal air purifier around his neck caught fire while as it was en route to Portland, Ore., from Houston.

"The company takes what happens very seriously and is taking the product off of the market for the time being. They know what the issue is and for the safety of customers are taking the product immediately off the market," said EcoQuest spokesman Tom Ferguson.

The company first learned of a potential problem with the device approximately 30 days ago, said EcoQuest vice president of marketing Rick DeMarco.

Independent lab tests conducted by the company have indicated that the hazard occurs when consumers charge non-rechargeable batteries.

"It heats the battery to very high levels to the point where it can explode," Ferguson said.

Warning on charger

The 2-by-6-inch device can operate on both types of batteries. The company Web site markets a Fresh Air Buddy Universal Fast Charger to those who wish "to take full advantage of the portability" of the system.

The Fast Charger consists of a universal voltage charger and two rechargeable lithium ion batteries, all "designed to work with your Fresh Air Buddy personal air purifier," according to the site.

"Once we learned that there might be a problem with the system we put a warning sticker on the package and the charger reminding people to not charge non-chargeable batteries," DeMarco said.

He said the company has sold about 70,000 of the $119 units in the last three years. Six have been reported to have malfunctioned.

"Our first concern is safety. We are advising people to stop using the Fresh Air Buddy immediately while we investigate the issue. Lithium batteries can be dangerous if not used properly," DeMarco said.

The company sent out 9,000 letters to consumers and advised all independent salespeople to immediately stop selling the product and discontinue its use on Saturday, DeMarco said.

"We will meet next week and determine where we go from here," he added.

Seats extinguished

Flight 1065 left Houston at 3:45 p.m. and approximately an hour into the flight the device malfunctioned and caught fire, said Continental Airlines spokeswoman Julie King.

Several seat cushions caught fire and were extinguished by flight attendants, King said.

"Standard operating procedure is to divert to the nearest airport," she said.

There were 154 passengers and six crew members aboard the 737-800.

Six passengers as well as the man who was wearing the Fresh Air Buddy at the time of the incident sought medical treatment for minor injuries.

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