Associated Press

PENSACOLA — A Florida Panhandle man lost some of his front teeth and a chunk of his tongue when the electronic cigarette he was smoking exploded.

The fire chief for the North Bay Fire Department near Niceville said it appears the cigarette's battery exploded while the man was smoking Monday night. Butch Parker likened it to a bottle rocket going off in the man's mouth.

Parker says the man had been using electronic cigarettes to help him quit smoking. Authorities don't know what model cigarette the man was smoking.

The victim is being treated for his injuries at a Mobile, Ala., burn unit.