Family of the man who died when his vape pen exploded Saturday called his death a freak accident. on Monday.
Christopher D’Elia, father of Tallmadge D’Elia, at the home on 19th Avenue NE, checking out the fire damage along with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
St. Pete Fire Rescue was called to the fire around 9:45 a.m. Saturday and found the body of 38-year-old Tallmadge D’Elia.
Lt. Steven Lawrence said a vape pen had exploded on the second floor of the home, sparking the fire and leaving D’Elia with injuries on his face.
An autopsy will determine if the explosion killed D’Elia or if it knocked him unconscious, trapping him inside the fiery room. Investigators are also trying to determine the brand of vape pen he was using.
While there is no official cause of the fire at this time, authorities said vape pen explosions have occurred in the past, although it is rare.
Gary Wilder, owner of Lizard Juice, said his pens contain computer chips, which help prevent explosions.
Vape pens contain lithium batteries, the same battery in cell phones, hover boards and laptops.
“In the vape industry, if I had to guess, he was using an unregulated mod. Doesn’t have that chip over there, they run it down to the end of the battery, the battery vents,” said Wilder. “The computer stops it from that, stops usage.”
Wilder said it comes down to education.
“For the most part, I really blame it on the shops not properly educating their customers.”
