A man suffered second-degree burns after batteries of a vaping device exploded in his pocket. "Three lithium batteries from my vape -- my extra batteries -- blew up in my pocket and lit on fire. It scorched my leg completely," said Tyler Newton said.Newton was driving his Jeep home from work Thursday when the vehicle filled with smoke. His spare batteries exploded. “Luckily, it was in the middle of a construction zone, where everything was being paved, so there was no oncoming traffic, otherwise I probably would have gone head-on with someone, because I went back and forth across the road like three or four times before finally getting the fire out and getting to the side of the road," he said. Newton spent four hours in the emergency room at Leominster Hospital. "They said I have first- and second-degree burns, some acid burns from the battery," he said.One of the three Samsung lithium batteries is now melted into the rubber floor mat. Newton is out of work as he convalesces at home. He said he has given up vaping and has gone back to smoking cigarettes. “I'm probably going to try to seek other alternatives to try to quit smoking," he said.

A man suffered second-degree burns after batteries of a vaping device exploded in his pocket.

"Three lithium batteries from my vape -- my extra batteries -- blew up in my pocket and lit on fire. It scorched my leg completely," said Tyler Newton said.


Newton was driving his Jeep home from work Thursday when the vehicle filled with smoke. His spare batteries exploded.

“Luckily, it was in the middle of a construction zone, where everything was being paved, so there was no oncoming traffic, otherwise I probably would have gone head-on with someone, because I went back and forth across the road like three or four times before finally getting the fire out and getting to the side of the road," he said.

Newton spent four hours in the emergency room at Leominster Hospital.

"They said I have first- and second-degree burns, some acid burns from the battery," he said.

One of the three Samsung lithium batteries is now melted into the rubber floor mat. Newton is out of work as he convalesces at home.

He said he has given up vaping and has gone back to smoking cigarettes.

“I'm probably going to try to seek other alternatives to try to quit smoking," he said.