Hoverboard Blamed for Bedroom Fire in Gaithersburg

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A hoverboard caused a Gaithersburg house last month, say fire officials, one of a growing number of such incidents that have banned the devices from some retailers and airlines.

The self-balancing scooters more commonly known as “hoverboards” are blamed for house fires from Louisiana to New York in recent weeks, as well as one catching fire in a Washington state mall, prompting an evacuation of shoppers.

Wired says the problem with the devices seems to be defects with the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries inside the hoverboards. Cheaper versions of the boards have poor quality batteries, and those are prone to overheating and fires. Some types of chargers also seem to be more likely to failure.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue says on it blog that a Nov. 8 house fire in the 7700 block of Mineral Springs Drive in Gaithersburg was caused by a hoverboard plugged into a charger in a bedroom. The scooter caught fire and rolled to the bed, igniting the bedding material.

Firefighters offer a couple of safety tips on hoverboards:

• Only buy a hoverboard that has been certified by a recognized testing lab such as Underwriters Laboratory. The box and/or hoverboard should have the logo imprinted on it.
• If you own one already - only charge the hoverboard if you are present the entire time.

Online retailer Amazon.com has dropped the Swagway line of hoverboards from its site, reports TechTimes. But, shoppers can still buy Jetson, Razor Hovertrax and Hover X brand hoverboards on Amazon.

Last week the country’s three largest airlines – American, Delta and United – said they will not allow hoverboards either in carry-on or checked luggage, USA Today reports. On Monday, Southwest Airlines joined in the ban. Small airlines, including JetBlue and Alaska Airlines, had already barred the devices from their flights.

»Photos of charred hoverboard, bed that caught fire in Gaithersburg, courtesy of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services blog