Woman Hospitalised After E-Cigarette Explodes

A woman from Pembrokeshire has suffered serious burns after her electronic cigarette exploded while she slept. The electronic device was being charged in a USB socket only intended for iPhones and iPads.

Lucy May, 22, was woken up by the sound of the blaze in her room and says she would have died if she hadn’t woken up sooner. Miss May suffered burns after the bed she was in caught fire.

Office manager Ms May said: “I had my e-cigarette on charge and went to sleep – next thing I knew I woke up to a fire.”

The device had ‘exploded like a bullet’ and caused hundred of pounds damage to her duvet, bag and clothing as well as causing extensive damage to the walls and carpet in her bedroom. She was taken to Morriston Hospital and treated for third degree burns to her legs, hands and the bottom of her abdomen.

Lucy had purchased the e-cigarette from a market for £35 to help her quit smoking. After a weekend away she put the eGo e-cigarette on charge but wasn’t aware the USB charger was too powerful for the device.

Her family are urging anyone who owns an e-cigarette to read the instruction before charging. them

Earlier this year a blaze occurred in East London which was believed to have started when an e-cigarette exploded while charging. Fire chiefs said it was likely the e-cigarette exploded due to overheating. The blaze was tackled by 20 firefighters and led to one lady being admitted to hospital for burns.

In April this year, a pensioner at Wythenshawe Hospital was engulfed in flames when she used an e-cigarette while on oxygen in her hospital bed, the fire caused serious burns to the 65 year old.

Many believe e-cigarettes are a safer option than normal cigarettes, which they often are however “The danger is that people sometimes use incorrect chargers which runs the risk of overcharging, which can potentially have explosive results.” said fire investigator Charlie Pugsley

When purchasing an e-cigarette it is important that it is purchased from a reputable source and that they aren’t charged longer than the recommended period.

Faulty Products General PI News StockslegalJun 14th, 20140 comments