Most people keep at least one lighter in their home and most have no idea whether it meets federal child-resistant safety requirements. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a federal safety standard requiring cigarette and multipurpose lighters to be child-resistant since 1994, and the results have been dramatic: fire deaths associated with children playing with lighters dropped 43 percent in the four years following the standard’s introduction. But a new wave of non-compliant lighters, mostly imported from China and sold on Amazonm, is putting children at risk again.
The Scale of the Problem
Before the child-resistant lighter standard took effect, children under age 5 playing with lighters caused more than 5,000 residential fires per year, resulting in approximately 150 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries annually. In 1994 alone, 230 people died in lighter-related fires started by children. The child-resistant standard was expected to — and did — prevent approximately 100 fire-related deaths per year. But CPSC has seen a significant surge in non-compliant lighters entering the U.S. market through e-commerce platforms, with dozens of recalls and safety warnings issued in 2025 and 2026 alone.
Recently Recalled and Warning-Listed Lighters
CPSC has issued a large number of recalls and safety warnings against non-compliant lighters in 2025 and 2026, all for missing required child-resistant mechanisms, including:
- Jobon Torch Lighters (sold on Amazon) — do not have required child-resistant mechanisms; violate mandatory standard for multipurpose lighters
- Topkay Lighters (sold on Amazon by Xiyude) — missing required child-resistant mechanisms; also violate Federal Hazardous Substances Act labeling requirements
- Royal Oak Flame Saber Lighters — missing required child-resistant mechanisms; violate mandatory standard for multipurpose lighters
- Somgem Pig and Yomin Toilet Lighters (sold on Amazon by Elepdv) — missing required child-resistant mechanisms; failed pre-market submission requirements
- Klasyt Jet Torch Lighters — missing required child-resistant mechanisms
- Creative Dice Lighters — missing required child-resistant mechanisms
- VPR Brands Lighters — missing child safety feature
- Prestige Import Group Supernova and Typhoon Lighters — missing required child-resistant mechanisms
What You Should Do
- Immediately check whether any lighter in your home is subject to a current recall at SaferProducts.gov.
- Purchase lighters only from established retailers and look for packaging that confirms the product meets the CPSC child-resistant standard.
- Be especially cautious with novelty lighters — those shaped like toys, animals, or other objects — as these are particularly appealing to young children and have historically been a significant source of non-compliant products.
- Always store all lighters out of reach and sight of children, regardless of whether they are child-resistant. Child-resistant does not mean child-proof.
- Dispose of any recalled lighter immediately. Do not sell or give it away.
To report a dangerous lighter or a product-related injury, visit SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.
