Exploding e-cigarette starts fire, man injured

March 9, 2015
(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

SANTA ANA (CNS) – A Santa Ana man in his 20s sustained burns to his face and one hand when an e-cigarette exploded while he was using the product in bed early today, a fire captain said.

The man heard a “humming sounded,” prompting him to pull the e- cigarette away from his mouth before it blew up about 1:45 a.m. in his apartment at 100 E. MacArthur Blvd., said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.

“Half of the e-cigarette ended up lodging into the ceiling,” Concialdi said, adding that some folded clothes on his bed caught fire.

“He was able to throw some water on it and pat it down,” Concialdi said of the flames.

The resident called firefighters, who said the man’s bed and clothing were still smoldering when they arrived, Concialdi said.

“It’s always best to call the fire department to make sure it’s completely extinguished,” Concialdi said.

He said it’s unclear why the e-cigarette exploded, “but there have been other reports of this happening.”

A 17-year-old boy was injured while smoking an e-cigarette in Anaheim on Feb. 10.