Hoverboard catches fire in Medford home

HOVERBOARD FIRE PICMedford, Ore. — A close call for a Medford family tonight, a hover-board caught fire inside their house.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is already investigating 16 different hoverboard fires in 12 different states.

A Medford family now knows the danger first hand

Connor Stewart says his hover board blew up while it was charging in his bedroom. All that’s left is a badly charred board with frayed wires and some damage to his hardwood floor.

“The battery fluid was all over the floor and it was on fire. Smoke was billowing out of it,” Stewart recalled.

Conner quickly called the fire department. His family was able to put the flames out before crews arrived. Including Medford Fire Inspector, Ralph Sartain.

“It beeped to let him know the charging was done, he went to take it off the charger, when he saw smoke, and then the battery pack, what he called detonated like a grenade,” explains Sartain.

Connor and his family say they had plans to go to church, had they been away at the time hover board caught fire…

“If I had left the house 20 mins earlier than I was planning to, we would have come back and the house would have been gone,” says Stewart.

Connor says he ordered the Lixada Hoverboard online and says he was alerted to the safety concerns of hoverboards, through an e-mail from the online site.

“I would definitely recommend not getting one. They are really cheap and easy to get, but had I been on that, god only knows what would happen.”

No one was injured in the incident, but fire investigators say the hover board fire caused about $1,000 damage to the house.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

Skip to content