Man left with horrific burns after e-cigarette battery exploded in his pocket 'like a Roman Candle'
An e-cigarette battery exploded like a firework in this man’s pocket causing horrific burns.
James Vearncombe, 49, may need skin grafts and has been scarred for life.
He had recharged the battery and tried to get it out of his trousers when it got hot.
But James told the Sunday People : “I was too late. It blew a hole in my jeans and sprayed flames down my leg like a Roman candle.
The businessman said:”I’m now in recovery and have been told it could take 18 months to heal. But I’ll always have the scars.”
Wife Amanda, 45, said: “We want to warn that these e-cigarettes can be dangerous. In hospital the doctors said they’ve seen a few people coming in with burns.”
“I ripped off my jeans and poured water from the sink over my leg," he continued.
"Then I ran into the garden and used the hosepipe. My skin was hanging off.”
James, of Rooks Bridge, Somerset, was rushed to hospital in Bristol where his second, third and fourth degree burns were treated for four days.
About 2.2 million Brits smoke e-cigs and firefighters attend at least one blaze a week caused by the gadgets.
"Manufacturers of e-cigarettes need to do more to warn of their dangers.”
Campaign group Ash said: “E-cigarettes are still far less harmful than tobacco but problems tend to arise from leaving them to charge overnight and using the wrong battery or charger.”
