Seattle hospital sees increase in e-cigarette explosions

Two people have been treated for burns at a Seattle hospital as the number of people injured by exploding e-cigarettes continues to climb.

The Seattle Times reports that Seattle's Harborview Medical Center has treated 14 victims for e-cigarette-related burns in the past year, including two this month. On Sunday a 34-year-old Kirkland man was injured when an e-cigarette battery in his back pocket ignited, leaving him with third-degree burns.

Other recent cases include a 2-year-old Seattle boy who was burned in March when his mother's device ignited and a 53-year-old Oak Harbor man whose e-cigarette exploded in his front pocket.

Dr. Elisha Brownson at Harborview says the hospital sees one or two patients for e-cigarette burns a month.

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Information from: The Seattle Times. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

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