Man's Vape Battery Exploded In His Pocket And Left Him Needing A Skin Graft

Warning: This article contains an image of the injuries which some readers may find distressing.

A spare vape battery can look harmless when it is sitting in a pocket, but Gavin Sutherland's case shows how quickly that can change. The 40-year-old has described the moment a battery exploded against his leg and left him with serious burns.

The incident happened in February after Sutherland heard a hiss coming from his pocket. Within moments, the battery had gone off, and he later had to be airlifted to hospital for urgent treatment.

The injury was severe enough that Sutherland needed a skin graft on his thigh. His experience has now become part of a warning about how people carry spare lithium batteries, especially loose ones that may touch other items in a pocket.

Speaking to the BBC, Sutherland recalled the first seconds of the blast: "I heard a hiss and slight movement in my pocket. Then it went off like a firework - the blast searing into my thigh."

He knew the battery was involved almost straight away, but the situation moved faster than he could process. "I knew immediately it was something to do with the battery, but things happened so fast."

Once the battery erupted, Sutherland was left trying to react while heat, smoke, and noise filled the moment. He said: "There was a blast and a lot of heat, smoke and noise. I was running around in a panic, swearing, but didn't know whether to use water or an extinguisher on it."

The battery then burned through his clothing and fell out of his pocket. Sutherland added: "I ran to the door and the battery rolled to the ground, having burned through my pocket. I put some cold water on my thigh, but then the pain set in."

The panic was made worse by uncertainty over what to do first. In those few seconds, he was dealing with both the fire risk and the immediate pain from the burn on his thigh.

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Gavin Sutherland was airlifted to hospital after sustaining the horrifying injuries. SCAA

The damage was not limited to the battery itself. Sutherland said the denim from his trousers and the fabric from his boxer shorts had melted onto his skin, making it clear that he needed medical help right away.

At first, he did not realize how serious the wound would turn out to be. The 40-year-old said: "I thought I would just get some cream and a telling off, but it turned out to be a lot more serious than that."

That changed when he reached hospital. He added: "At Accident and Emergency, I sat down and basically collapsed - I was in extreme pain."

Sutherland also praised Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), saying he knew he was in safe hands once the crew arrived.

For a burn injury like this, fast treatment matters because damaged clothing, heat, and deep skin trauma can make the wound worse than it first appears. In Sutherland's case, the response led to him being airlifted for hospital care rather than simply treated at the scene.

Experts have issued a warning about the batteries. Getty Stock Images

"They had me on painkillers pretty quickly, but I could see the severity of the wound as they worked on it."

"The crew were really reassuring - so professional yet so personal."

After treating the injury, the medical team found that Sutherland had avoided muscle damage. However, the burn still left him with permanent scarring, showing how serious a battery blast can be even when deeper tissue is spared.

Why loose vape batteries can be so risky

The key risk is not only the vape device itself, but how spare batteries are stored and carried. Loose batteries can become dangerous if their terminals touch metal objects such as keys, coins, or other items in a pocket or bag.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned about loose lithium-ion battery cells, including 18650 cells, saying they can overheat and cause fires, explosions, serious injuries, or death when handled incorrectly.

Battery failure is a different risk from what a person inhales, but both come from the same everyday device. Researchers have also examined how device type and vape flavor choices may affect the body.

After the accident, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that vape batteries can cause life-changing injuries if they are charged, stored, or carried the wrong way.

The FDA advises: "Charge your vape on a clean, flat surface, away from anything that can easily catch fire and someplace you can clearly see it - not a couch or pillow where it may more easily overheat or get turned on accidentally."

It also warns users to keep devices and batteries away from harsh temperature conditions, adding: "Protect your vape from extreme temperatures by not leaving it in direct sunlight or in your car on a hot summer day or freezing cold night, and do not charge it in extreme temperatures."