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See the moment a man's electronic cigarette exploded in his pocket

The man was in line at a gas station when the device blew up.

Payton Guion
New York
Thursday 25 February 2016 20:47 GMT
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A man's electronic cigarette exploded in his pocket at a Kentucky gas station.
A man's electronic cigarette exploded in his pocket at a Kentucky gas station. (Getty Images)

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Electronic cigarettes are generally thought to be much healthier than their traditional ancestors, but a Kentucky man recently found out they can actually be quite dangerous.

Josh Hamilton suffered second-degree burns when an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket as he was trying to pay at an Owensboro, Kentucky gas station.

Surveillance video of the incident shows Mr. Hamilton approach the cashier to pay, but when he reaches into his pocket, the e-cigarette explodes, shooting fire out of the man's pants. He was eventually taken to the hospital, where he was told he had second-degree burns, according to WFIE.

"I was shocked," said Manoj Kumar, an employee at the gas station. "I was like what was that. You have a bomb in your pocket? I was like that. You carry your bomb in your pocket? I was totally shocked and just like this my hands were on my head."

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