I feel like the additional 3 million mosquitos this would produce won’t make it a welcome addition. But that’s just me.

Correct. This is the point I’m trying to make.

I’m not saying that at all. Remove the e-cig from the equation. A BATTERY exploded in his pocket. Just a battery. It was not attached to a e-cig device at all. It was an improperly stored high capacity and high discharge battery that shorted out. Any battery sitting in a pocket with other metals is capable of the same…

Perhaps he should have properly secured the battery before sticking it in his pocket.

Well, this isn’t an e-cig that exploded. It was the battery that belongs in an e-cig. A battery sitting in a pocket with keys, loose change, etc will do what any battery will with exposed contacts. It will short itself.