11-year-old's hoverboard explodes, catches fire in Gaithersburg home
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (ABC7) — Montgomery County firefighters rushed to a Gaithersburg home this week after an 11-year-old boy's hoverboard exploded and caused a fire.
Hoverboards are small, two-wheeled, motorized electric devices that have become popular with adults and children. But there have been a number of reports of them exploding and catching fire throughout the country.
Ryan Quintanilla tells ABC7 he received his hoverboard as a present for his 11th birthday in October.
His mother says the family bought it on eBay and paid $318 for it.
Ryan says the hoverboard had been a lot of fun and had worked without any problems -- until Tuesday night.
"We just heard a really big bang, and then I got really scared," he said. "We went upstairs and I just saw a whole bunch of fire, and then I just went back downstairs and called 911."
The family says the hoverboard had been plugged into a wall outlet in Ryan's bedroom. It had been charging for about an hour when they heard the explosion. The resulting fire destroyed both the hoverboard and part of Ryan's bed, in addition to damaging the floor.
The same night Ryan's hoverboard exploded, a hoverboard at a mall in Auburn, Washington, also started a fire. And there have been other incidents reported throughout the country as well.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue offered the following advice about hoverboards on the department's blog:
Only buy a "Hoverboard" which has been certified by a recognized testing lab such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL). The box and/or "Hoverboard" should have the logo imprinted on it.
If you own one already - only charge the "hoverboard" if you are, and will be, present the entire time.
