A mother-of-three feared that she would burn to death when her vape exploded in her coat pocket.
Kerrie Roberts, 52, from Essex, was sitting in her friend’s car when she claims her rechargeable vape blew up in her coat pocket without warning on October 19th last year.
She said: ‘It was like a firework going off in the car and at first I didn’t know what it was.
‘The seat went up in flames, the battery must have burnt through my pocket and exploded.
‘The battery continued to melt through the car as it was still hot, I jumped out of the car when I realised it was me.’
At the start of the incident, Ms Roberts and her friend believed the stationary vehicle was malfunctioning and the whole car was going to set alight.
But Ms Robert’s initial suspicions that the problem was inside the car were short lived when she realised that actually she was the source of the inferno.
She jumped out of the motor and rolled on the floor to put out the flames.
Kerrie Roberts feared she would burn to death when her vape exploded in her pocket
Ms Roberts was left with serious burns from the exploding vape
She needs to stay out of the sun for two years while the skin heals
‘I had a brand-new coat and dress on and I realised it was me that was on fire,’ she said.
‘My leg started to hurt and was burning, my friend looked over at my leg and it had started to bubble and form blisters.’
Horrifying photos show large holes in Ms Roberts new coat, dress and part of her friend’s car seat, which she claims has cost £300 to replace.
Realising her skin was scorched, and as blisters bubbled up on her right thigh, she rushed to The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow to get her wounds treated.
Ms Roberts, who is the CEO of a homeless charity, was put on an IV drip and had her blisters popped before her leg was bandaged up.
Thankfully she will not need a skin graft, and after having silver dressing applied to the burn, there is now blood flow back in the affected area, meaning that her body will slowly heal naturally.
She is under strict instructions to keep her burns out of the sun for two years and moisturise her wounds up to four times a day to make a full recovery.
Ms Roberts is now warning others to not keep their vapes in their pockets or close to their body to avoid the same thing happening to them.
Ms Robert’s vape (left); and the type of battery which exploded inside it (right)
Ms Roberts believes her thick coat stopped her from being more badly maimed (left); the car seat which cost £300 to repair (right)
She had been vaping for a decade and said she had used this kind of rechargeable vape for three years as she believed it to be the ‘safest option’.
She said: ‘I thought I was using the safest one and I don’t use disposable [vapes].
‘The scary thing is, I had that same battery on a plane with me the week before this happened.
‘It would have been so scary [if this happened on a plane]. I’m scared to go on a plane now.
‘I was scared that the whole car might set alight. Luckily, we were just outside the garage on a quiet road, but what if we were on a busy road going quickly?’
Since the incident, Ms Roberts has said she won’t vape again.
Kerrie said: ‘I don’t vape anymore. I’ve bought a resistance breather, which is like a vape [but not harmful] to stop me vaping.
‘I would tell people to not carry your vape in your pocket and not have it so close to you.
Ms Robert’s charred coat lays bare the severity of the fire
‘I was lucky to not have it in my trouser pocket. As if this was the case, it would have been so much worse for me.
‘Luckily my coat was padded and I had layers between.
‘Don’t leave it in pockets in the back of the car where your kids are either.’
Britons are now vaping in unprecedented numbers, with roughly one in ten adults estimated to be hooked on the little gadgets’ nicotine-infused flavoured mist.
While vapes are still a recommended method for quitting smoking, experts have warned of the health dangers from the chemicals, solvents, sweeteners and flavourings in e-cigarettes.
According to 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published in November last year, there are now 5.4 million adults in Britain who vape daily, compared to 4.9 million cigarette smokers.
In other words, vaping has overtaken smoking. And among children, the situation is even more disturbing. The bright colours, sweet flavours, and sleek designs of disposable vapes are clearly marketed to appeal to teens, whatever manufacturers might claim. And social media has amplified the problem with TikTok videos normalising vaping as fashionable and cool.
