Charging Hoverboard Linked To NJ House Fire: Authorities

BRICK, NJ — A hoverboard that overheated while charging appears to be the source of a fire that damaged a Brick Township home on Sunday evening, authorities said Monday.

No one was injured in the fire at 657 Thoroughfare Road, Brick Township Fire Chief Kevin Batzel said.

Three people were in the home at the time of the fire that happened about 5:20 p.m., he said. It was discovered by the mother, who then evacuated everyone before running to a neighbor's home to call 911, Batzel said.

All four Brick Township fire companies responded and the fire, in the sunroom at the back of the house, was out in about an hour, he said.

The sunroom suffered extensive damage, he said.

The investigation into the cause is ongoing, but Batzel said the preliminary investigation shows the fire appears to have started when the hoverboard overheated. It was actively charging at the time, he said.

Batzel urged people to closely follow guidelines issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding the devices, which have been linked to more than 250 fires nationally since 2015, including one in 2015 that damaged a Lacey Township home, and a March 2017 house fire sparked by an overheating hoverboard killed two girls, ages 2 and 10, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The safety commission estimates there have been 13 burn injuries, three smoke inhalation injuries and more than $4 million in property damage related to hoverboards.

Batzel pointed out there have been multiple recalls on the devices because of the fire risk.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission urges the following:

• Only charge a hoverboard when you are there to watch it.
• Have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside sleeping areas and inside each bedroom.
• Hoverboards should be compliant with the UL2272 safety standard. However, even UL2272 compliance cannot guarantee that a hoverboard will not overheat or catch on fire.
• Check for recalls. Go to: www.CPSC.gov to see if the hoverboard has been recalled. Stop using a recalled hoverboard immediately and contact the manufacturer for the remedy.
• Report incidents involving hoverboards overheating, smoking, or starting fires to CPSC at: www.Saferproducts.gov.

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