Vaporizer battery catches fire in woman's purse

FREEHOLD, New Jersey -- Video shows a woman's purse appearing to spontaneously catch fire inside a mall in central New Jersey last weekend.

The incident happened at the Freehold Raceway Mall Sunday.

Mara McInerney told Eyewitness News she placed her handbag on the counter when she walked up to the register. Moments later, smoke started pouring out of the purse.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Watch this surveillance video showing what a woman says was a vaporizer battery catching fire in her purse at a mall in New Jersey.

McInerney said it was the spare battery she had for her vaping device, but wasn't attached to it at the time.

Startled, McInerney knocked the bag off the counter. Others came running over to see what happened.

Everything inside her bag was either melted or burned.

McInerney said she's sharing the video and her story because she wants to highlight possible dangers with these devices and show it can happen to anyone.