Massachusetts

Man Says Vaping Product Caused Car Fire in Dudley

A man whose car burst into flames outside a convenience store says a vaping device is to blame

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Massachusetts, and the driver believes it was started by a vaping product.

The fire broke out at Kwik Stop.

"The smoke immediately went up into flames and I heard a pop and it was engulfed in flames within seconds," said Tracy Jette, who lives across the street.

"A lot of flames, so they're hot," said another witness, a man named Bill.

The flames were so hot that they melted the siding of the convenience store in a matter of minutes.

"The driver of the car indicated that as he pulled into the parking lot, he had some type of e-cigarette or vaping device. He had taken that device and then placed it onto the passenger seat," said Assistant Fire Chief Paul Konieczny.

Konieczny says when the driver returned from shopping inside the Kwik Stop, the car was filled with smoke, and quickly burst into flames.

"The car had been burned in the area of where the e-cigarette was placed, and to our knowledge, there is no other source of ignition in that particular area," Konieczny said.

Fire officials want to make it clear that the cause of the fire remains undetermined because everything inside the car was so damaged, no evidence remains to test for a cause. But they are taking this opportunity to warn users of e-cigarette and vaping products that they need to follow manufacturers' instructions and warnings to avoid a fire similar to this one.

"It's no different than an open flame on a lighter," Konieczny said. "If you don't use it accordingly, then you may end up with some type of fire that could be catastrophic in the end."

No one was injured in the fire.

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