From 2009 to 2014, the U.S. Fire
Administration (USFA) reported 25 incidents of explosion and fire involving
electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and while that isn’t really a very large
number, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes coupled with the dramatic
explosions seen make this an issue fire personnel and investigators should be
aware of.
E-cigarettes contain a heating element
powered by a battery. Many have a USB port for ease in recharging.
USFA reports that 80 percent of the reported explosions and fires
happened during battery recharging. The events happened suddenly and in
many cases the battery and/or other components were ejected from the device
under pressure and “flew across the room” as a projectile.
One suggested possibility for this is
improper charging. There are different types of USB ports with different
voltage and current; using a different USB port than recommended by the
manufacturer may be unsafe. The USFA report (PDF, 899 Kb - https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electronic_cigarettes.pdf
) contains many more details found during this research.
https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electronic_cigarettes.pdf
