Riverview man shaken up after battery explodes in pocket

CTV Atlantic: N.B. man shaken after e-cig explodes A Riverview, N.B., man is speaking out after his e-cigarette exploded, leaving him shaken and scared. CTV's Cami Kepke has more.

A man from Riverview, N.B., is speaking out after his spare e-cigarette battery exploded in his pocket, leaving him shaken and scared.

Wayne Walker says the incident left him with scars, which have since faded. But he say the memory remains fresh.

Just before Christmas he threw a spare battery in his pocket, along with his car keys and went to work.

All was normal until he saw the sparks.

“All of a sudden my jacket just exploded,” said Walker. “I knew right away that's what it was. I knew it had to do with my vape, and it all just happened so fast. The main thing was to get everything off of me.”

Photos from that day show his charred jacked, melted pants and burns on his side and legs.

Walker had taken up vaping several months before in an attempt to give up cigarettes. While he's back to vaping now, the incident caused him to give it up for weeks.

Moncton Fire Marshal Charles LeBlanc the reaction was caused by the spare battery that wasn't in the e-cigarette making contact with the metal of Walker's car keys.

He says fires caused by batteries are common, but this is the first time he's seen a battery specifically for an e-cigarette light up.

“Not to say e-cigarette batteries are worse than any type of battery, basically it was a short,” said LeBlanc. “There's always a chance that you'll have some kind of adverse effect where it could potentially explode or catch fire.”

It's a warning echoed by vape shops – many of which carry covers to prevent similar incidents.

“The power these batteries can hold, they can hold a substantial amount and put off, when they do explode, quite a violent episode and do quite a bit of damage,” said vape shop owner Tim Osborne.

Now carrying a vape pen that doesn't require interchangeable batteries, Walker says his message goes beyond e-cigarettes. He’s warning others about the storage and disposal of powerful batteries in general.

“Even if you throw them in your garbage can, you can burn down your house. If you have this while you're driving, you could cause an accident. It could be a lot worse than what happened to me," said Walker.

Walker says vaping is just like any hobby. It’s important to do your research and ensure you’re safe whenever trying something new.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke.