Mom’s Vape Bursts into Flames in Her Pocket, Creating an ‘Oozing Mass’ of Skin as Leg Was ‘Burnt to a Crisp’

A woman whose leg was severely burned when her vape battery caught fire while it was in her pocket is speaking out for the first time since her traumatic injury.

Kerri Absolom of Dorset, England told the U.K.-based outlet NeedToKnow in an interview published on Monday, March 3 that the ordeal was “blood curdling.”

According to Absolom. 35, she was a regular vape user when the incident occurred in November 2022 before leaving to go to work. She tells the outlet she recalls getting ready to leave her home for work as a retail manager when she took her e-cigarette off of its charger and placed it in her pocket.

It quickly caught fire, and Absolom tells the outlet that she looked down at her leg to see that it had been “burnt to a crisp.”

“The smell of burnt flesh made me feel sick,” Absolom recalls. “As I saw a small flame begin to flicker in my pocket, I tried to furiously pat it out with my hands.”

Absolom tells the outlet that that 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,” she continues, recalling how the vape’s battery fell through her pant leg onto a nearby 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,” she continues. “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.”

By that point, she says, her husband had already called an ambulance, and firefighters quickly ushered them out of the house before spraying Absolom’s leg with water in an attempt to help with the “excruciating” pain.

Absolom says that firefighters later confirmed that the vape battery had come into contact with her keys, using them as a conductor, and caught fire.

Once hospitalized, Absolom was admitted to the burn unit due to her skin constantly weeping. She was given morphine for the pain.

Her recovery process lasted three years and included skin grafts, laser treatments, pain medication that caused her to break out in hives and more — but the mom says that the physical pain was only one part of the aftermath.

“I struggled to sleep because I was in a constant state of fear and became terrified that something else would explode in the night,” she continues. “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.”

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Absolom tells NeedToKnow that she was eventually diagnosed with PTSD and did not return to work until one full year later. Now, she says she hopes sharing her story will raise awareness about the dangers of vapes.

“Even though I’m coping with the trauma much better, I’m still very self-conscious about my leg,” she shares. “I no longer wear shorts in summer, or skirts higher than my knees. I’m so careful with electronics and have since quit vaping.”

There are ways to prevent vape and other e-ciagarette fires. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that users keep loose batteries in a case to prevent contact with metal objects, avoid charging vape devices with a phone or tablet charger and refrain from charging vapes overnight.

For Absolom, the incident prompted her to give up what she calls “a dangerous habit.”

“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,” she finishes. “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,” she says.