A man was left with second-degree burns after his e-cigarette exploded in his pocket at work.
Delivery driver Alex Crossley was at his Sighthill base when he heard a worrying sound coming from his clothes.
Plunging his right hand into his shorts pocket to investigate, Alex was shocked to see flames start shooting down his leg.
Alex, 41, from Livingston, is now warning other vapers to be careful how they store their devices and avoid any similar injury.
He explained: "I was just out of the office speaking to one of my colleagues, Danny, when I heard a hissing noise coming from my right shorts pocket.
"I keep my vape, my spare two batteries for it, and I had also thrown my car keys in my pocket, which was a bit of a stupid move.
"I automatically went to move my vape, as the hissing noise usually happens when I've accidentally leaned on the 'on' button in my pocket.
"I then heard a loud pop, and I looked down to see flames bursting out of my shorts pocket, and spreading up my leg."
Alex believes the e-cigarette wasn't the original culprit to the flames igniting his pocket. He says the spare batteries had an adverse reaction to the car keys in his pocket, and in turn exploded into a small fire.
Alex was stunned at first, and shouted for help: "I didn't register at first what was going on. I shouted on Danny in a panic, and tried to smother the fire with my hand - which was a bad move.
"I then ripped the vape, and everything else in my pocket out, and threw it across the floor in an attempt to move the fire away from my body.
"In hindsight, it probably would've been better to remove my shorts, and stamp out the flames."
In the disarray of the moment, Alex had burned his right hand, and rushed to run it under cold water to soothe the pain.
Luck was on his side, however, as Alex's wife currently works in the Burns Unit in St Johns Hospital in Livingston .
"Thankfully, my wife was still working on night-shift at the hospital, so the first thing I done was send her photos of the damage done, and she advised me to go home, where she would treat my burns.
"None of them were serious enough burns to go to A&E with, so she patched me up and I am now off my work until they heal."
Alex warns other users to keep their electrical equipment for their vapes separate from other potential hazards.
"I used to have a case for my batteries, to prevent these types of events transpiring, but I lost it ages ago.
"So, all I would say is to be careful when handling electronic cigarettes, and always trust your gut instinct when things like this happen."
