A builder whose vape exploded into ‘nine-inch flames’ in his pocket was left with ‘excruciating’ second-degree burns after the e-cigarette combusted.
Dave Johnson, 41, was forced to rip off his shorts after they set on fire whilst he carried a heavy paving stone on a job at a customer’s house. The dad-of-two screamed in agony at the pain after hearing a sizzling sound moments before the accident.
He was rushed to Airedale Hospital in Steeton, West Yorkshire after his colleague heard the chaos unfolding, where medics scraped off his charred, dead skin and bandaged him up before they sent him home. But Dave was forced to return to doctors a second time after the huge 12-inch patch of raw and red skin became infected, leaving him hospitalised for six days and on IV antibiotics.
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Kennedy News and Media)The ex-smoker, from Colne in Lancashire, quit normal cigarettes to improve his health as it is ‘the better of two evils’. He added: “I'd taken a fully-charged battery for the e-cig and it was in my pocket with my keys, I normally leave spare batteries in the van. It shorted on my keys in my pocket and exploded. I heard a fizzing sound, almost like when a firework rocket starts to go off, and then felt the pain.
"The pain in my right leg was excruciating, like if you put your hand in far too hot water. I knew straight away it had done damage. I dropped the flag and saw flames shooting out of my pocket - the flames were eight or nine inches coming out of my leg. I originally tried to stick my hand in to get it out but I couldn't. Then eventually it burned a hole through my shorts and it fell out onto the floor."
Dave, who is now recovering after his spell in hospital, says his wound is healing well and he now wants to warn other people against making the same mistake. He explained: "It's doing ok, it's just a case of waiting for it to heal. It wasn't the actual e-cig that caused it, it was incorrect transportation of the battery. I'm still vaping but I'm not keeping batteries in my pocket any more. I would say to people to just be careful and be aware this can happen."
