MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mid-South man has a warning for anyone who uses e-cigarettes.
Giles Apsey says he realized there had been a fire in his truck when he walked toward it after work one morning.
‘It was all soot on the windows. I could hardly see, so I’m rubbing my hand and got soot on my hand.”
Apsey says he soon realized the e-cigarette was to blame. He says he’d bought it in January and had not used it for four days when it exploded.
“I think I paid over $100 for that.”
The device had been sitting in his cup holder in mild weather conditions, so Apsey says it’s unclear what triggered the explosion.
“It sort of shook me up a little bit, because you hear it happen to other people. You don’t hear it happen to yourself.”
He says he’s thankful that he wasn’t using the e-cigarette when it exploded.
“You got to look on the bright side. No one was hurt.”
But he can’t say the same for his 2017 Nissan Frontier. Smoke stains filled the car and his seat and console were morphed from the fire.
Once the parts are replaced at DeSoto Collision Center, the car will be sent to Memphis to get detailed. In the meantime, Apsey says he’s done with e-cigarettes for good.
The U.S. Fire Department reports there were nearly 200 fire and explosion incidents in the U.S. from devices between 2009 to 2016.
“I would say be very careful with these things. They could go off in your face. They could go off in your home, so read up about it,” Apsey said.
The e-cigarette manufacturer Vaporesso said they’re ‘shocked’ to hear what happened and have never experienced a case like this. They’re investigating and will cover any damages if it’s determined the device was faulty.