Toddler Death Linked To Hoverboard Fire

A fire has killed a toddler, critically injured two others, and also led to critical injuries to a responding fire official. The fire appears to have been sparked by a recharging hoverboard, authorities said.

Fire officials in Pennsylvania said that one of the victims jumped from a second-floor porch roof to escape the blaze. Two other females and a male were rescued by ladder from the ground.

The Lehigh County coroner’s office said that 3-year-old Ashanti Hughes was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest. Two girls still remain hospitalized in critical condition. The man and a teenage male were treated and released.

The fire has been ruled accidental and attributed to a hoverboard plugged in to recharge on the first floor, authorities say.

“They heard some sizzling and crackling in the hoverboard, and shortly thereafter, it exploded in flames,”

Authorities have called the devices “notorious for starting fires” and urged people not to use what has been called “knockoff brands” that were not deemed safe.

“We’ve seen too many fires and too many fire fatalities as a result of these hoverboards,”

A Consumer Products Safety Commission spokesperson said the death was the first fatality in the U.S linked to a hoverboard-related fire, according to NBC News.