New fire danger warning for vape-kit users

Fire experts are warning the public about the danger of e-cigarettes, but this is not the same safety warning you may have heard before.

Viral videos have warned us in the past about the potential for starting a fire in one’s pocket.

It frequently happens when the owner of a custom “vaping rig” inadvertently presses the button on his/her battery unit, allowing it to get too hot in an enclosed space.

But fire officials say that is not the scenario you need to worry about the most.

“80% of the cases involving fires in e-cigarettes happen during the charging phase,” reveals Fire Chief Tim Walker of the Rochester N.Y. fire department.

Walker cites one recent fire that his department was called to, when a man’s vapor cigarette unit burst into flame on his bedroom nightstand.

Walker says the man tried to charge his unit with a plug-in unit that did not come with his original kit.

Doing so, says Walker, results in too much amperage reaching the unit. That overheats the battery, with sometimes disastrous results.

Experts say you should always use the charging unit that came with your vaping kit. Do not assume that devices that use the same mini-USB plug will all be cross-compatible.