Mum feared she'd die when vape battery 'exploded like a firework' in her coat pocket and set her ablaze

Kerrie Roberts was sitting in her friend's car when she claims her rechargeable vape blew up in her coat pocket without warning on October 19 last year.

At first, the pair believed the stationary vehicle was malfunctioning and the whole car was going to set alight.

But when the mum-of-three realised she was on fire, she jumped out of the motor and rolled on the floor to put out the flames. Realising her skin was scorched as blisters bubbled up on her right thigh, the 52-year-old rushed to The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, to get it checked out.

The homeless charity CEO was put on an IV drip and had her blisters popped before her leg was bandaged up.

Horrifying photos show large holes in Kerrie's new coat, dress and part of her friend's car seat, which she claims has cost £300 to replace.

Kerrie has been told she won't need a skin graft and after having silver dressing applied to the burn has now got blood flow back in the affected area. Now healing, Kerrie is warning others to not keep their vapes in their pockets or close to their body to avoid the same thing happening to them.

Kerrie, from Harlow in Essex, said: "It was like a firework going off in the car and at first I didn't know what it was. The seat went up in flames, the battery must have burnt through my pocket and exploded.

"The battery continued to melt through the car as it was still hot, I jumped out of the car when I realised it was me. I had a brand-new coat and dress on and I realised it was me that was on fire.

"My leg started to hurt and was burning, my friend looked over at my leg and it had started to bubble and form blisters."

Kerrie had been vaping for a decade and said she had used this kind of rechargeable vape for three years as she believed it to be the 'safest option'.

Now, Kerrie has to keep her burns out of the sun for two years and moisturise her wounds up to four times a day to make a full recovery.

Kerrie said: "I thought I was using the safest one and I don't use disposable [vapes].

"The scary thing is, I had that same battery on a plane with me the week before this happened. It would have been so scary [if this happened on a plane]. I'm scared to go on a plane now.

"I was scared that the whole car might set alight. Luckily, we were just outside the garage on a quiet road, but what if we were on a busy road going quickly?"

Since the incident, Kerrie says she won't vape again and is now issuing a warning to others to not carry vapes around in their pockets.

errie said: "I don't vape any more. I've bought a resistance breather, which is like a vape [but not harmful] to stop me vaping. I would tell people to not carry your vape in your pocket and not have it so close to you.

"I was lucky to not have it in my trouser pocket. As if this was the case, it would have been so much worse for me. Luckily my coat was padded and I had layers between. Don't leave it in pockets in the back of the car where your kids are either."