'My vape exploded and set on fire my daughter's Christmas presents' – mum issues warning to Lancashire parents

Kirsten Church, 21, was changing the batteries in her device when it exploded and started sparking so she threw it into the air to avoid injury.

The vape exploded multiple times and burned the floor, her wrist and ignited a box containing her daughter's Christmas presents.

The stay-at-home mum from Lifton, Devon, said: "As the batteries went in it started sparking and I knew what was happening. So I threw it into the air.

"It exploded in the air right next to me. I had to protect my face. It was so loud. It went 'BANG! BANG! BANG!' all across the floor. It kept exploding."

Kirsten ran downstairs, where her daughter Summer Church, two, and her mother Louise Church, 41, were watching TV, and called the fire brigade Kirsten and her family were told to leave the house immediately and wait outside for the fire brigade to arrive.

In the meantime, Kirsten's partner Cameron Buckle, 21, ran upstairs and emptied the box that had caught fire - saving all the presents.

He then threw the still-flaming box in the bath to avoid the fire from spreading.

Kirsten said: "He said the fire was up to his waist and that he could see the orange flickering on the wall. If it weren't for the bravery of Cameron all the presents would have been destroyed, he did save Christmas.

"Even if they hadn't been burned, the firemen would have sprayed the whole room and they would have been ruined."

The blaze also ignited Kirsten's mother's birthday present bag, which was destroyed.

Thankfully, Kirsten was not injured severely and the fire had not spread by the time authorities arrived.

She added: "It was around that time she would have been in bed, thank god she wasn't.

"She was very scared of the noises, she kept asking to go back inside."

What did Lancashire Fire and Rescue service say?

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue has previously issued advice to people with vapes and e-cigarettes and how to charge them properly, particularly due to their potential fire risk.

They urge vapers not to charge the batteries overnight or while sleeping and to only use the charger provided with the product, from a reputable seller.

A spokesperson for the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Use only the charger provided with the product. Don’t use a different one even if its adapter fits into the device port. Do not overcharge your e-cig. Leaving it charging continuously can increase the risk of a fire.

"Never charge them overnight or while you are sleeping. This is when many fires occur.

"Protect your e-cig from being pierced, crushed, dropped, or otherwise damaged. Lithium-ion batteries can go into what’s called thermal runaway when compromised. This means they can explode and cause a very serious fire."Keep your e-cig away from other metal objects like coins and keys. These items can cause it to short-circuit and start a fire."