LAKE WORTH, Fla. (WSVN) — A Palm Beach County family was burned out of the house they rented after, officials said, a vape pen’s batteries sparked danger.
Marc Theaman said he and his family would never have imagined their Monday would play out like this.
“I keep reliving it. It’s only been a couple of hours, but I can’t get it out of my mind,” he said.
Theaman said he heard a loud noise coming from the backyard of the Lake Worth home he rented at around noon.
“And I could smell the smoke, and I could see the flames from the backyard had made their way into the dining room,” he said.
The homeowner, Kayla Ogilbee, said she was told a vape pen’s lithium-ion batteries caused the blaze.
“Just, like, such a small device could cause this type of damage is unbelievable and scary,” she said.
The Theamans never thought the device could nearly cost their dog, Borris, his life.
“When the firemen came, I kept saying, ‘My dog, my dog, my dog,’ and thank God, they got the dog,” said Theaman.
Borris was rescued by firefighters.
“This is our white dog, that is now very dark and black,” said Theaman.
The Theamans said they were prescribed the vape pen, and his wife is undergoing breast cancer treatment. They now plan to ditch the device after Monday’s life-altering incident.
“[We] follow the doctor’s instructions, and this is what happens,” said Theaman.
Both the Theamans and Ogilbee have lots to replace and repair, but they are relieved the situation wasn’t worse.
“I’m just grateful that everyone made it out OK,” said Ogilbee. “It turned, like, real real when you actually see what happened and how bad it could have gotten.”
Making matters worse, Ogilbee said, she does not have homeowner’s insurance to help with expenses related to the fire.
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