Watch a teenager narrowly escape injury from an exploding e-cigarette
CCTV/Metro/Screenshot

If you were worried about the largely unknown dangers brought on by smoking electronic cigarettes, this certainly isn't going to help. Closed circuit video from Britain has emerged of an e-cig exploding into a teenager's face, causing minor burns. Laura Baty, 18, was lucky enough to escape major injuries after an e-cig exploded while she was working at a pub.
"I was about to give somebody their change and I heard the bang," Baty told the York Press, adding that the sound reminded her of a fuse box exploding. "I could see the fire coming at me and I felt the heat as I ran away."
Footage from the incident shows the e-cig exploding as Baty was tending to a customer at her pub Saturday. The device, which belongs to one of her coworkers, was routinely left on the iPad charger without any prior accidents.
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"I started crying hysterically and my arm was all black," she said. "My dress caught on fire as I ran away and I just didn't know what was happening." Baty suffered burns on her arms. The e-cig, meanwhile, eventually burnt itself out on the floor. --Jordan Valinsky
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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