https://twitter.com/KEEMSTARx/status/674566553233395716
The above video footage was taken at a mall in Auburn, Washington, Tuesday when a hoverboard — or, “self-balancing scooter” as they are also and more accurately called — exploded “for no reason” and caught fire at a kiosk selling them. These so-called hoverboards have been causing controversy in recent months over the fact that, well, they’re kind of dangerous in general, which has led to bans in many major cities.
However, this new hoverboard-related threat is much more ominous than your run-of-the-mill face-planting, as the mall incident this week was just one of an increasing number of instances of the gadgets exploding and catching on fire.
Jessica Horne of Lafitte, Louisiana nearly lost her home recently when a hoverboard she purchased for her son exploded in his bedroom.
“Both wheels, it was like a firework,” she told ABC affiliate WGNO. “I saw sparks flying and before I could yell, ‘The house is on the fire!’ the middle part of the board that would go in between your feet — it just went ‘poof!'”
The scooters have recently been completely banned in Britain, with the UK seizing thousands from entering the country. With the holidays rapidly approaching, just something for parents out there to consider. Following Tuesday’s incident, ABC News warned against buying them for your children: