A woman has revealed her traumatic ordeal when a vape battery caught fire in her pocket and left her leg “burnt to a crisp”.
Kerri Absolom often enjoyed having a puff on her e-cigarette.
But that all changed when the mum suffered a “blood curdling” ordeal.
The now 35-year-old had been rushing to leave the house when she spotted a stream of smoke coming from her pocket – when suddenly, her vape battery caught on fire.
Left with third degree burns and oozing skin, she was rushed to hospital for extensive treatment.
Now, she’s sharing her story to raise awareness about treating lithium batteries with caution and to urge people to leave the “dangerous” habit behind.
“The smell of burnt flesh made me feel sick,” the retail manager, from Dorset, told Need To Know.
“I’m not squeamish, so I looked and was shocked to see my leg had been burnt to a crisp.
“As I saw a small flame begin to flicker in my pocket, I tried to furiously pat it out with my hands.
“There were sparks jetting out of the battery like a firework.
“I tried, along with my husband, Christopher, to yank my trousers off as it got worse.
“We’d almost got them off when the vape battery fell through my trouser leg and onto the dog bed.
“The sparks fizzled out, but as it was scorching hot, the hissing battery melted through the bed into the carpet.
“My hand was in such throbbing pain that I hadn’t even registered what it had done to the rest of my body.
“But as I went to rinse them under the tap, I looked down and noticed my leg was so badly burnt that the skin was rolling into one oozing mass.”
Kerri took the lithium vape off charge in November 2022 before leaving to go to work.
Christopher, 35, when noticing how serious the situation was, called for an ambulance immediately.
She was ushered into the garden by firefighters, who sprayed her leg with a hose in a bid to calm the “excruciating” burn.
The vape battery was wrapped in a sock and “launched” out of her house during the chaos and panic.
Kerri claims the firefighters confirmed the vape battery had come into contact with her keys, using them as a conductor, and ignited.
In hospital, she was given morphine and was admitted for a week to the burns unit due to her skin constantly weeping.
To help her leg heal without scarring, she underwent a skin graft – but the recovery – physically and mentally – wasn’t an easy task.
She said: “The agony was unbearable.
Kerri’s leg before the skin graft. (Picture: Jam Press)
“Even getting in the shower was painful.
“And I kept getting allergic reactions and rashes from the pain medication.
“I struggled to sleep because I was in a constant state of fear.
“And became terrified that something else would explode in the night.
“The smell of toast cooking would make me panic.
“At work, if someone dropped something in the warehouse or if there were sparklers and Christmas crackers being pulled at work parties, I’d freeze in a state of fear.”
Kerri was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the ordeal and remained off work until January 2023.
To help with her physical recovery, three sessions of laser treatment were carried out to help treat the scar tissue quicker.
Now, though, even though her leg has mostly healed, she still has scars from the burns and skin grafts.
She hopes sharing her story will raise awareness about the dangers of vape batteries; especially as the situation could’ve been a lot worse.
Kerri added: “I’m so careful with electronics and have since quit vaping.
“I had no idea that the batteries could be so dangerous.
“I’ve since taken photos of the damage and sent them to my local vape shop to warn others of the risks.
“Even though I’m coping with the trauma much better, I’m still very self-conscious about my leg.
“I no longer wear shorts in summer, or skirts higher than my knees.
“I also think back to how much worse it could’ve been – what if my son had been in my arms when it caught fire?
“The thought of him suffering injuries like mine terrifies me more than anything.
“For now, though, I’m glad to have left such a dangerous habit behind.”
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