Hoverboard Causes Fire In Holmdel Home

HOLMDEL, NJ — It happened yet again: A hoverboard overheated and caught fire in the basement of a Holmdel home early Tuesday morning, police said.

The fire broke out sometime before 5 a.m. Tuesday, and fortunately, residents in the home on Heather Hill Way woke up in time to escape.

Holmdel police were called to the Heather Hill Way address on Tuesday, August 29 at approximately 5:00 a.m. When officers got there, they found the resident flagging them down in front of the house. The homeowner said the fire was in the basement, and Sgt. Hughes and Patrolman Michalski went inside with fire extinguishers. In the basement, they found a hoverboard on fire. The officers were able to extinguish it to prevent any further damage.

The hoverboard was plugged in and charging when it overheated and caught fire, said Lt. Michael Pigott. Over half a million hoverboards were recalled in 2016 due to their risk of catching fire, especially while they are charging. Their lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat and explode, are to blame.

In March of this year, a hoverboard exploded in a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania home and the entire house caught fire. Tragically, a three-year-old girl died. Her's was the first recorded instance of a death caused by a hoverboard. In Ocean County, NJ, the Lanoka Harbor fire department said they responded to a house fire around Christmas 2015 that was caused by an exploding hoverboard. This photo above was distributed by the Nashville, TN fire department, showing a hoverboard that exploded there and caused this house fire in 2016:

Over half a million hoverboards, made by various companies from Indiana to Hong Kong, have been recalled.

The Holmdel First Aid Squad checked all three residents at the home. One resident was transported to Bayshore Hospital for additional treatment.

Correction: While Holmdel police originally said it was a Segway hoverboard, Segway contacted Patch and said they do not manufacture a hoverboard. Instead, they design and manufacture the miniPRO, a UL certified personal transporter, which has never exploded or caught fire. Segway is a brand and registered trademark, it is not a product name.