Be careful....hoverboards can explode!

This hoverboard exploded while it was being charged causing a £25,000 damage

That is the experience of Paul Hodkinson who believed the perfect present for three of his grandchildren would be hoverboards. Little did he know that he was setting himself up for a £25,000 damage to their kitchen. Paul and is wife Elaine, 57, say they were lucky to escape with their lives after one of the £300  hoverboards exploded in their kitchen while it was being charged. He said the hoverboard fizzed ‘like a firework’ before going off like a bomb in their three-bedroom semi in Deal, Kent.
Elaine and I are in shock,’ he said. ‘You don’t expect a toy you buy for your grandchildren to explode like that. If one of the grandchildren had been anywhere near that scooter they could have been killed.
‘It’s lucky both of us got out of the house when we did. We dread to think what might have happened.’
Sales of hoverboards have recently surged with many online retailers reporting rises of more than 200 per cent. They are expected to be this year’s must-have Christmas gadget.

The £25,000 damage to the kitchen

That is despite an incident last month where one went up in flames, leading London Fire Brigade to warn of the dangers of leaving them unattended while charging.
To check they all worked, Mr Hodkinson plugged one in to charge in the kitchen. He said: ‘Elaine and I were in the living room when we heard a massive swoosh. Through a glass door to the kitchen we could see a bright yellow glow of flames.’

Mr Hodkinson standing in the damaged kitchen

Mr Hodkinson, 44, opened the door to be met with flames leaping from the battery pack of the hoverboard.
He said: ‘For a moment I froze – there was an instinct to try and put the flames out. But then I heard the hoverboard fizzing in the flames. It sounded like a firework.
‘Thankfully I decided to close the door and call the fire brigade because within seconds there was a massive bang and the hoverboard exploded. It was terrifying – like a mini bomb going off. Neighbours heard it three houses away.
‘We were horrified when we saw the damage. The kitchen is blackened and the rest of the house is smoke damaged. All we could do was salvage a few belongings. We’ve had to stay at my daughter’s.’
He added: ‘My biggest fear is that someone will be killed. The explosion came without any warning. The hoverboard had only been on charge for an hour.’
BBC1’s Watchdog reported that the plugs supplied with some hoverboards, most of which are made in China, did not have fuses and could be at risk of overheating.

Source: DailyMail