WESTBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Two nicotine vape batteries exploded in the pocket of a Westborough man leaving his severely burned. Now, he wants to warn others of the dangerous malfunction.
“It sounded like firecrackers going off,” he said. “It was like six or seven loud pops.”
Josh Anderson said there was no warning when the batteries suddenly exploded. He immediately took off his sweatpants but the heat from the batteries had already melted his polyester underwear to his skin — making his burns even worse.
“They had melted from the heat, and when I pulled them off, that’s why the burns are so extensive because it was melted fabric,” he explained.
Anderson got himself into the shower to wash the burn and as he did so, the skin on his left leg began to peel away.
“I was pulling the skin off as I was showering, it didn’t hurt at the time though. It sounds gross, but it wasn’t that bad,” he said.
The next day, Anderson’s pain became intense.
“There was one point on Monday where I passed out from the pain,” he said. “I went back to the hospital.”
He is now on pain medication and will have to undergo skin grafting to help the burn heal.
In the aftermath of this ordeal, Anderson has given up vaping.
“It’s scary, I am not vaping anymore,” He said. “I am done with that. I am scared to touch batteries at this point.”
Anderson said that anyone who does vape should be cautious.
“Be really careful with how you handle it, how you store it,” he said. “Just be really careful, if you can stop, stop.”
Doctors said it will be a full year before Anderson will be fully recovered.
Anyone interested in donating to help defray Anderson’s expenses can do so here.
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