A man in the U.S. has suffered second-degree burns to his leg after an e-cigarette battery exploded in his pocket.
Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment Josh Hamilton, from Kentucky, was at a convenience store buying snacks when his e-cig burst into flames, shooting sparks and setting him on fire, reports the NY Daily News.
Mr Hamilton quickly ran outside, removed his burning trousers and employee Jassie Singh rushed after him to put out the fire with an extinguisher.
Even with the quick action and a trip to the local hospital, Hamilton was left with nasty second-degree burns.
Manoj Kumar – an employee at the petrol station where the incident occurred – told WFIE that he originally thought the customer had a bomb in his pocket before realising the situation.
Mr Hamilton posted on Facebook:
Yeah it got me good! It was like I had one of those fountain type fireworks going off in my pocket!
This is just the latest in a series of E-cigarette battery explosions which seem to be more common as the devices become more popular.
Last year, a Texas man sued the store that sold him batteries after an explosion during a kickball game that left him with injuries to his leg and groin.
And last month a German man suffered facial injuries and lost a number of teeth after an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth.
E-cigarette user groups say most problems with exploding batteries are caused by extreme heat, using an incorrect charger, using an incorrect battery or a battery’s interaction with other metal.
