Rasen man reveals horror of exploding vape - and the part pineapples played in his recovery

Connor Degnan, 22, has described his agony as a fire engulfed his right leg - and how a revolutionary operation involving a chemical from a pineapple, has helped to heal his horrific injuries.

Connor - who now suffers frightening flashbacks - is afraid to go near vapes, he struggles to walk and is likely to be scarred for life.

He now wants to warn others about the dangers of the popular battery-powered e-cigarettes, and why they should always be kept in a cool place.

Describing his ordeal, Connor said: “I was in my bedroom when my vape battery suddenly exploded with no warning in my right pocket.

“I heard a hissing noise and saw big flames resembling a firework going off in my pocket.

“At first, I had absolutely no idea what it was, but I knew I was in trouble.

“I immediately rushed to get my trousers off as fast as possible, the flames running down my legs as I did.

“I splashed it with water and tried to stamp on the flames with my other leg.

“The pain was unbearable and I knew I had to get to hospital as soon as possible, so dad drove me to Lincoln [County Hospital].

“Lincoln said they’d never heard of anyone being burned from a vape. They said it was very rare.

“I was immediately transferred to Nottingham burns unit with ‘severe burns’.

“I wouldn’t wish the pain on my worst enemy, it’s just horrible.

“I’ve been lucky in some aspects, a few inches to the right and I would have lost my privates. I spent four days at the burns unit, the nurses and doctors were amazing, they should be proud of themselves.

“I had an operation which involved putting a pineapple chemical onto the burns in order to make them heal eventually.

“The doctors say I’m healing very well, but there’s likely to be scarring.

“The whole experience has been dramatic and I want to get the message across that vapes are not safe.

“Never put a vape in your pocket, always make sure they’re kept in a cool environment, away from anyone, so it doesn’t get too warm.

“I’m scared to use vapes again, it feels like PTSD.

“I was watching The Chase the other day and saw my mum’s vape and I felt like I saw a flash.”

To make Connor’s ordeal even worse, he was left unable to urinate after his operation due to an issue with his nerves - and he ended up needing six catheters.

Connor said he had been using his vape for a while without any problems and it had been given to him by a cousin.

The incident happened on May 31 and Connor has been back to the burns unit this week to have his dressings changed.

He said: “It was agony when they were taking the dressing off. The pain’s been so great, it’s been hard to walk.

“I had morphine-based medication in hospital and at home I’ve only had codeine.

“I have to go back to hospital on Thursday (tomorrow, June 11) again.

“Then they said it should be a week or two before I have to go back again after that.”

What is bromelain?

The enzyme bromelain is extracted from the stem of pineapple and is used for the treatment of severe burns.

It has an anti-inflammatory effect and disintegrates damaged tissue. The enzyme is applied to burned skin in the form of a gel.

What can I do?

Most modern portable electrical devices use lithium ion batteries, and inside the battery is a lithium salt dissolved in a strong solvent.

As the batteries are designed to be lightweight, the casing 
of the battery can sometimes fail.

If this happens then water vapour in the air will react with the lithium metal inside the battery, in a very vigorous chemical reaction.

The pressure that the contents are under can also mean that the reacting lithium metal can travel some distance away from the battery as it bursts.

The best way to avoid this is to ensure the battery stays cool. This should keep the pressure of the contents down, and minimise the risk of the casing of the battery failing.