Video: New Tampa Home Catches Fire When Hoverboard Ignites

NEW TAMPA, FL -- It was a close call for a New Tampa family Friday night when a hoverboard charging inside their home caught fire.

Tampa Fire Rescue were able to quickly douse a fire that erupted at 7:30 p.m. at 18203 Cozumel Isle Drive when the battery on a hoverboard ignited while it was charging in a room in the house.

The family escaped but told firefighters that their pet sugar glider was still inside its cage in an upstairs bedroom. Firefighters were able to remove the pet from the smoke-filled room.

More than 500,000 balancing scooters — better known as hoverboards -- have been recalled because of the risk of fire or explosions.

According to hoverboard manufacturer RayeeBoard, the prime reason behind hoverboard fires is batteries, especially 18650 Lithium-ion batteries that are present in hoverboards. They contain different cells of 4.20V each. A few sheets of Polyethylene or Polypropylene separate individual cells. If one or more of these sheets are compromised due to impact or overcharging, a short circuit occurs that often leads up to fires.

Sometimes, inefficient charging also causes overheating and explosions. In some cases, cooling components fail to do their jobs which leads to explosions.

A full list of recalled devices is on Consumer Product Safety Commission website. The CPSC advises people who own a recalled hoverboard to stop using it, and to reach out to the manufacturer or retailer for a refund, repair or replacement, depending on what the company is offering.

And if your hoverboard isn't on the list, check to ensure that it is safe by doing the following:

• Look for non-compliant plugs like a cloverleaf plug with no fuse.
• Check for the non-approved fake plug with incorrect markings and counterfeit fuse.
• Never buy products without branding or manufacturers details on packaging or product.
• Beware of misspellings on the packaging or product or instructions.
• Never buy a charger with no manufacturer details.
• Never buy a product that has very poor CE marking, non-compliant CE marking or that comes without CE marking (EU market), UL2272 certification is required in US market now.