An exploding vape pen was thought to be the cause of a house fire that took the life of a 38-year-old man in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Tallmadge D’Elia suffered severe facial injuries caused by a vape pen exploding near his face, authorities told WTVT after fire crews responded to a call at a two-story home in Historic Old Northeast St. Petersburg about 9 a.m. Saturday.
D'Elia's body was found inside and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told WTVT they believed the explosion also caused the fire inside the home.
"We do have cases where the vape pens have exploded and they have caused fires," Deputy Marshal Steven Lawrence told the television station. "That's one of the reasons we don't allow them at special events or any type of indoor facilities, just because they are dangerous and hazardous."
According to Wired magazine, statistics on vape pen incidents are thin. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had identified 25 cases of e-cigarette explosions in the United States from 2009 to 2014, but that list was based only on incidents reported by the media.
WTVT said the Pinellas County coroner will determine D'Elia's official cause of death. St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Steve Lawrence told the Tampa Bay Times his department was waiting on the results to complete the investigation.
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