Feds Advise Purchasing Fire Extinguishers With Hoverboards

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission advised consumers to have a fire extinguisher close by whenever they charge their hoverboards. The advice came as an update to its investigation of the device. The same update also advises consumers to avoid roads, charge the self-balancing boards far from combustible materials and wear protective equipment.

Thirty-nine fires involving the device are currently being investigated by the federal regulatory agency across the country, CPSC spokesman said. The number is considerably higher than the 12 incidents in December. A statement from Elliot Kaye, CPSC chairman indicated that the investigation is focused on the lithium-ion batteries of the board and how they interact with the circuit boards.

The investigation is also including falls when using the hoverboards since there in an increase in the number of emergency rooms visits due to these incidents.

Kaye said they are checking the design of the products to look into the possible presence of hidden hazards causing the fall injuries, which should not have happened in the first place. The agency may encourage voluntary standards or totally ban the device. While the CPSC indicated they are conducting the investigation as fast as possible, it did not release a detailed time line.

Feds Advise Purchasing Fire Extinguishers With Hoverboards - image credit: nbcnews.com

The popularity of hoverboards increased after a number of celebrities posted pictures of themselves using the devices. Quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers said he uses the device to go to and from practice.

The investigation of the CPSC started after reports of the devices exploding or catching increased. During this period, dozens of fall injury reports reached the agency.

Owners and witnesses said the fires occurred in different circumstances. Some devices exploded while they were being charged while others said it happened while they were riding them. One revealed that it happened while sitting close of a Washington shopping mall kiosk. Fires have also been reported in Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Hoverboards have been banned by a number of airlines last month while the US Postal Service has disallowed shipping of the devices by air. Sale of the self-balancing boards was temporarily stopped by Target and Amazon while Overstock.com is not selling the devices anymore. Amazon was praised by the CPSC after it gave customers a full refund if they return the devices.

Hoverboards are currently being tested by the CPSC at its Rockville, Maryland facility and is investigating boards manufactured or sold by a number of companies, including Keenford Limited, E-Rover Smart Balance Wheel, Smart Balance Wheel and Smart Balance Wheel Scooter, among others.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Thursday January 21 2016, 11:31 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Shopping. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0