Teen in India suffers burns after biting on lithium battery, causing it to catch fire in his mouth

A male teenager in India was left seriously injured after a lithium battery he bit on suddenly caught fire. 

Closed-circuit television footage of the incident, shared on social media platform X on Friday (Feb 7), shows the teen inside what is believed to be a mobile phone shop, biting on the battery moments before it ignites. 

The victim immediately throws the battery away as another person in the shop rushes to extinguish the fire. 

While the exact location of the incident and further details about the teen remain unknown, Indian news outlet NDTV reported that witnesses and shop staff rushed to his aid after the battery caught fire. 

He was treated for burns at a local hospital, reported Indian media outlets.   

It was reported that the pressure from the victim's teeth likely punctured the battery's casing, triggering an immediate chemical reaction, which caused a violent flare-up. 

Shocking incident inside a mobile shop when a boy began chewing on a Lithium Phone Battery. Within seconds, the battery exploded, leaving him seriously injured. The injured boy was rushed for medical treatment pic.twitter.com/03MeyXz28p

— Rosy (@rose_k01) February 5, 2026

In the comments section, several netizens expressed concern, while others highlighted the dangers of mishandling batteries and the importance of battery safety. 

"Why did this happen?" one user asked. Another added rhetorically: "Why would anyone chew a battery?" 

"Lithium stores a lot of energy compared to other batteries. Do not play with it," another user warned. 

The video has since garnered over 10,000 views. 

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com