Hoverboard charger investigated as possible cause of Worcester fire

WORCESTER ― Investigators are looking at a hoverboard charger as the possible cause of a one-alarm fire Wednesday morning at 214 East Mountain St.

The 6:15 a.m. fire, confined to one room in a duplex, was put out quickly and there were no injuries, said Assistant Fire Chief Adam Roche. Four people living in the duplex were displaced.

Several hoverboards were being charged in the room when firefighters arrived at the scene.

"It's a hot topic and we have to kind of be diligent and pay attention and come up with a process on how to handle these situations," said Roche of the danger reportedly linked to hoverboards and their lithium-ion batteries that could overheat. "We know it's going to be an issue because it's a national issue."

More than 50,000 Jetson Rogue hoverboards were recalled after a fire killed two women in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, in 2022. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an alert in 2015 to warn the public about hoverboards and their risk of catching fire or overheating.

Investigators looking into the cause of Wednesday's fire are using extreme caution, said Roche, because a false conclusion could be damaging to the company that makes the charger and the hoverboard.

Roche didn't know when investigators would reach a conclusion and couldn't recall a prior fire in Worcester linked to a hoverboard. He said some fires in the city have been caused by a lithium-ion battery: One in a cellphone, another a laptop and one a battery at an auto shop.

To reduce the risk of fire, the U.S. Product Safety Commission recommends using only the charger supplied with the hoverboard; not charging unattended, especially at night; and keeping away from flammable items while charging or storing a hoverboard.

Check back at telegram.com as more details become available.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester fire may have been caused by hoverboard charger