E-cigarette kills TV producer after it exploded on his face

Electronic cigarette has claimed it’s first victim after it exploded while being inhaled by a TV producer in the USA.

An autopsy has confirmed that the man died after his e-cigarette exploded, penetrated his brain and left him with burns to 80 per cent of his body.

Tallmadge Wakeman D'Elia, a TV producer, was killed in a fire in his St Petersburg, Florida bedroom on May 5.

According to FEMA, the 38-year-old's death is the first in the USA to be caused by a vaping pen. 

In an autopsy report seen by ABC Action News, examiners explained that the e-cigarette made a 'projectile wound' in D'Elia's skull, becoming lodged in his brain.

The brand of vaping pen was recorded as Smok-E Mountain Mech Works, which produces unregulated e-cigarettes described as not coming with 'safety features'. 

It is not known why the device blew up. 

Smok-E Mountain, however, told ABC its e-cigarettes do not explode, suggesting instead that the device's battery or atomizer was likely to blame.  

A recent FEMA report explained that vaping pen explosions are very rare, but said when they do happen the devices become like 'flaming rockets'.  

D'Elia's death has been explained as 'accidental', with 13WMAZ reporting that he suffered 80 per cent burns. 

He worked for CNBC as a producer before moving to Florida and going freelance.  

His neighbor, Dale Kleine, said she was the one who identified D'Elia's burned body. 

She told Fox6: 'I saw the smoke coming out of the roof and we were hoping that nobody was home but then we found out that Wake was home.'

Deputy fire marshal Steven Lawrence, who attended the scene, said vape pens can 'become pieces of flying debris and shrapnel'.

He added: 'It's like having a small ... firecracker in your hand.

'It can explode and at that point it can project either the pieces of the lighter itself or the vape pen.'

FEMA recently reported that there were almost 200 incidents involving exploding vape pens between 2000 and 2016, but D'Elia is the first person in the US to die as a consequence.