News

Actions

Tips for preventing vape disasters

Posted at 11:14 AM, Sep 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-15 17:34:37-04

NORFOLK, Va. – Vaping -- it’s considered a safer, healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes.

But it could also pose a danger if not used properly.

From dark smoke billowing out of purses to third degree burns, there`s been a string of vaporizers or e-cigarettes going up in flames.

FEMA says there were 25 incidents between 2009 and 2014.

They say most of them happened while the battery was charging.

Kyle Kleinknight with Norfolk’s Allusive Cloud Factory' says batteries are also part of the problem.

'Here is what a battery should look like. It`s completely - at the bottom wrapped and safe in-between. If they`re an exposure on the side, that can ground out to any object and can allow the battery to potentially auto fire in your pocket without the device,” Kleinknight explained.

Kleinknight says one of the common mistakes customers make is when they lose the back to their system instead of replacing it they put it back in their pocket or purse.

He say that the batteries then rub up against keys or coins which could lead to a major problem.

"The slightest nick in your battery can cause that battery to no longer be safe and can cause it to short out," the manager of the vape shop said.

Kleinknight says they haven`t had any customers report explosions but there is a common problem they see.

“We`ve definitely caught them before there was a chance of an error. We see their batteries and the wraps are torn or scratched and so forth and so on,” Kleinknight said.

Puffing on your vape should be calming.

Kleinknight says you shouldn't have to worry about ending up in a hospital bed.