Tennessee Warns of Hoverboard Dangers After 2 Nashville Fires

The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office issued a consumer alert about the potential fire hazards of so-called “hoverboard” toys after two recent fires in Nashville. One of the fires destroyed a $1 million home, the first confirmed house fire caused by a hoverboard in Tennessee.

Nashville Fire investigators said the fire occurred at 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 9, on Radcliff Dr. in Nashville. Two teens were upstairs in a home when the FITURBO F1 “hoverboard” 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 fire destroyed the 4,000-plus square-foot home.

The Nashville Fire Department investigators determined that the fire was caused by the FITURBO F1 hoverboard. A subsequent investigation revealed that friends of the family who lost their home on Jan. 9 also 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.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating dozens of such fires across the U.S. thought to be caused by hoverboards.