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Vape Battery Explodes, Searing Man's Leg
19 Jun
Summary
- A vape battery in a pocket exploded, causing severe leg burns.
- The injured man required an air ambulance for transport to hospital.
- The incident resulted in permanent scarring after a skin graft.
A 40-year-old man sustained severe leg burns after a spare lithium vape battery exploded in his pocket. The incident occurred in February while he was working in a jewellery workshop in Orkney. He described hearing a hiss before the battery detonated like a firework, searing his thigh.
Colleagues provided initial aid with a burns gel pack before he was transported to Balfour Hospital. Due to the severity, he was airlifted by Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance to Aberdeen for specialist treatment and a skin graft operation. He has been left with permanent scarring.
Following the event, his nine-year-old son and a friend organized a 20-mile sponsored cycle, successfully raising nearly £7,000 for the air ambulance charity.
