Woman issues urgent vape warning after she 'almost died' when puffer jacket set on fire
Despite being better than ciggies, most of us know by now that vaping comes with numerous health risks.
It can negatively impact all sorts of different parts of the body, and disposable vapes are even being banned in the UK.
But vapes are not only dangerous when you're smoking them, they can actually be a fire risk too.
Advert
Recently, a mum has come out to issue an urgent warning about carrying vapes after she feared for her life when her vape exploded in her pocket.
Leeanne Anderson claimed that her rechargeable e-cig battery exploded on 30 January inside of her puffer jacket pocket, leading to shocking burns on her body.
The 43-year-old from Camberley, Surrey, had decided to visit her sister on the day of the incident, after having been discharged from hospital due to wrist surgery the previous day.
But it was only minutes after her arrival that Leeanne heard a 'big explosion' before being engulfed in flames.
The mum explained that her puffer coat 'completely melted off' due to the fire as her sister Elizabeth Parker and brother-in-law Alan Parker attempted to put it out.
Leeanne explained that her leg was left 'completely charred' after the ordeal as well as severe burns on her left hand.
Leeanne said: "I was still quite out of it from my surgery so didn't really know what was going on.
"Then my coat just lit up in flames. My brother-in-law saw that and threw me across the sofa and my sister was there trying to rip my coat off me because one side was completely melted.
"When they got all my clothes off me, my sister ran me straight upstairs and threw me in the bath. My brother-in-law ripped my sling off me because it was in flames.
"The flames were getting higher and higher. They went from my knee up to my shoulder - the whole length of my coat."
Leeanne quickly realised her vape battery had exploded, leaving her with 'completely charred skin'.
She said: "My whole leg was completely charred, my stomach was burnt.
"I burnt a couple of fingers on my surgery hand but my left hand got the brunt of it. From my knee up it was completely charred.”
She went on to say that it was only after her brother-in-law asked her where her vape was that she realised ‘it was on the sofa but I had the battery in my pocket’ and that ‘there was no battery left at all - just sheets of copper welded to the carpet and my coat.’
Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley assessed Leeanne after the explosion and bandaged her burned hand.
Leeanne credits her sister and brother-in-law for saving her life and warned that batteries should be kept in a ‘carry case’ and away from things like your phone, keys, or money.
She vowed: "I'll never put a battery in my pocket ever again."
Britt Jones