Blair expands chenille robe recall, additional deaths reported

If you have an elderly mom, take the time to check her chenille bathrobes and jackets to make sure they aren’t the ones subject to recent recalls.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the retailer Blair LLC, of Warren, Pa., are expanding Blair’s voluntary recall of women’s full-length chenille robes to include additional chenille robes and three other chenille products all manufactured by A-One Textile & Towel.

The commission and Blair also are re-announcing the earlier recall of women’s robes.

In April 2009, Blair recalled 162,000 chenille robes after it learned of three robes catching on fire, including one report of second-degree burns.

Blair then received several reports of deaths allegedly due to robes catching fire. This prompted a second news release in June 2009 to again alert consumers to the burn hazard for the chenille robes.

After this re-announcement, Blair received four additional reports of deaths allegedly due to the robes catching fire. Three of these victims were cooking and a fourth was tending a pellet stove; three of the four victims were in their 80s and one was in her 70s.

All nine reported deaths occurred prior to the April 2009 announcement of the recall.

Blair has received one report involving one of the additional garments described below catching fire; no injuries have been reported related to these garments. Blair decided to expand the recall to include all women’s chenille wearing apparel manufactured by A-One Textile & Towel, the commission reports.

About 138,000 Full Length Women’s Chenille Robes, Women’s Chenille Jacket, Women’s Chenille Lounge Jacket, and Women’s Chenille Top are being recalled; 162,000 items were previously recalled in April 2009.

See the commission’s announcement for a description of these garments, the item numbers, and the colors.

A-One Textile & Towel, of Karachi, Pakistan, manufactured all of the products recalled in April 2009. Blair is expanding its recall to all women’s chenille wearing apparel manufactured by A-One.

Some of the apparel fails to meet the federal flammability standard and presents a risk of serious burns to consumers if the garments are exposed to an open flame, the commission reports.

The garments were sold in Blair’s catalogs, on its Web site, and in Blair stores in Warren, Pa., Grove City, Pa., and Wilmington, Del., from July 2000 through April 2007, at the following prices:

• Full Length Women’s Chenille Robes for about $30 to $40.

• Women’s Chenille Jacket, about $25 to $29.

• Women’s Chenille Lounge Jacket, about $20 to $23.

• Women’s Chenille Top, about $20 to $23.

Consumers are urged to stop wearing the garments immediately, the commission advises. Contact Blair LLC for information on returning the products and to receive a refund or a $50 gift card for Blair merchandise.

For more information, call Blair toll-free at 877-392-7095 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, visit the firm’s Web site at www.blair.com/recall, or contact the firm by e-mail at blairproductrecall@blair.com.