Hoverboard Fire Causes $1Million Dollars in Damage

In December, hoverboards were a hot ticket item that kids of all ages were asking to be placed under the tree.

Today, the Nashville Fire Department held a press conference regarding the first fire caused by a hoverboard in the past three months, one which has caused a family’s home to be destroyed with $1 million in damage.

Early in December the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Deputy Commissioner Gary West said, “We want Tennesseans to be informed about hoverboards as the number of fire incidents involving these popular devices steadily increases.”

The following  is the press release from the Nashville Fire Department regarding the incident. 

At 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2016, on Radcliff Drive in Nashville, two teens hid upstairs in a home after hearing noises downstairs. Unbeknownst to them, a FITURBO F1 “hoverboard” had burst into flames on the first floor. Upon being confronted with smoke, a 16-year-old girl kicked out a second-floor window and leapt into her father’s arms. Both received minor injuries in the process. The father then helped the 14-year-old boy out a second-story window with a ladder.

The two teens were both taken to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with minor injuries. The father, who injured his arm in trying to catch his daughter, said he would drive himself to the emergency room.

The fire destroyed the 4,000-plus-square-foot home.

Weeks of investigation led investigators with the Nashville Fire Department to determine that the fire was caused by the FITURBO F1 hoverboard. Subsequent investigation revealed that friends of the family who lost their home on Jan. 9 experienced a small fire when their FITURBO F1 hoverboard – purchased in the same batch – caught fire in its battery compartment. Fortunately, only the hoverboard was damaged in that fire.

“We are fortunate that there were only minor injuries in what was an extremely dangerous fire,” said Nashville Fire Chief Rick White. “We hope Nashvillians use extreme caution before purchasing or using these hoverboards.”

The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office says that this is the first confirmed house fire caused by a hoverboard in Tennessee. But due to a growing number of cases across the U.S., they are strongly warning Tennesseans to use extreme caution if they choose to purchase a hoverboard.

“Today, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office renew our strong warning to Tennessee consumers about so-called ‘hoverboard’ devices becoming potential fire hazards to Tennessee consumers,” Tennessee Commerce & Insurance Deputy Commissioner Gary West said. “The recent fire in Nashville is the first reported fire in Tennessee caused by one of these devices. One hoverboard-related fire is one fire too many.”

If you do own a hoverboard, always use the manufacturer-supplied charge. Do not leave it unattended while charging or plugged into an outlet overnight. Do not overcharge the device and follow the manufacturer’s recommended charging times.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating dozens of such fires across the United States thought to be caused by hoverboards. The Radcliff Drive fire is now among those being investigated.

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