E-Cigarettes Safe?

Am hoping that these things will help lead to smoke-free casinos. But now there is a case of one blowing up in a user's face.

Story here.

EXPLODES inside his mouth and blows out all of his teeth
Florida father-of-three Tom Holloway badly injured
Battery in cigarette ignited and blew up in mouth
Debris flew around room melting all that it touched

OK - I'm kinda thinking that this is a bad joke!

I have several, and don't know how the guy could put the battery portion in his mouth. Most look like cigarettes, with a "filter" made of plastic which holds the nicotine cartridges or flavor. Than the atomizer screws into the filter and batter, with the battery the last portion of the e-cigarette.

I just measured mine, and the filter-flavor portion and atomizer measure 1 1/2 inches, overall length is 4 inches. I concede it may have exploded outside his mouth, not inside it. ::: shrug :::