Dad-of-six Jason Curmi was left with burns along his right thigh after his e-cigarette battery pack exploded in his pocket - just inches away from his 'privates'.
The burns were so severe that not only were his jeans left completely tattered from the burns, but he almost needed skin grafts.
Jason, 46, switched to vaping after quitting smoking three months ago, opting for an e-cigarette to try and curb his cravings.
However, one day he arrived at work and realised he could feel a strange warm sensation in his trouser pocket. Within seconds he heard a loud bang, before Jason noticed that he was on fire - which was when colleagues had to step in to help him put the blaze out.
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After being taken to St Thomas' Hospital in south London, he was referred to the burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where his burns were classed as between second and third degree.
Jason, who works as a recovery practitioner helping people come off drugs and alcohol, still hasn't been able to return to work, three weeks on.
He said: "It was also only two inches from my privates and if I'd been wearing different clothing, it could have blown them to bits.
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"The whole thing scared the crap out of me.
"I lost a lot of skin - they were borderline second to third degree burns, but I just escaped having skin grafts.
"It was just like a loud explosion, lots of fire coming out of my trousers and the room, which was quite large as it was a conference room, was covered in soot. It smelled very toxic.
"I had my vaping device on my desk. I carry a battery in my pocket as I'm out all day so I bring a spare one just in case.
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"I felt a very slight warmth, like you would with a mobile phone, but thought nothing of it and it's obviously exploded.
"It's shredded my jeans, and my boxers. It's a miracle it didn't do more damage to be honest.
"It could have set me on fire."
Surgeons have previously warned about the dangers of imported battery packs, when a spate of explosions two years ago led to many people needing skin grafts.
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Jason is now calling for all imported devices to be monitored more strictly, saying that he wasn't told they should not be stored in pockets with other metal items.
He hopes to receive compensation for his injuries, along with the time he has had to take off work.
He continued: "Another couple of seconds and I would have had really irreversible damage.
"As you can imagine, all these different scenarios have been going on in my head - what if someone was driving their kids to school on a busy road? You would definitely lose control of your car.
"If you were on a bus or an aeroplane it could have caused damage and panic. It was very scary. It's such a small thing but it's so deadly.
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"I got mine from a proper shop and this still happened. I'm a bit disappointed.
"I don't think these things should be being sold unless they're properly checked out
"It's hard to walk, hard to sit down, but the real damage has been done psychologically."
A spokesman for Chinese company EFest - which makes the battery packs - has not replied to request for comment from Triangle News.
Mark Gardiner, who is thelead officer for product safety at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said he was 'aware' of 'some issues with batteries failing under thermal runaway conditions'.
He added: "Given the popularity of the product there doesn't seem to be a particularly high level of incidents though."
Featured Image Credit: Triangle NewsTopics: UK News, Community, UK, Smoking