Crabtree Mall suspends hoverboard sales after Cary family's board ignites

The hoverboard fire in Cary continues a national trend of the popular holiday gifts igniting: The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating at least 11 other incidents of hoverboard fires across the country, and online retailers such as Amazon and Overstock have pulled the rolling scooters due to their potential hazards.

"It started to smoke and shake, and then truly all of a sudden it ignited in flames," said the mother of the Cary family, who declined to be identified.

The mom said she watched her 16-year-old daughter’s hoverboard explode as it was charging in the family’s living room Sunday night.

"My husband was quick to get a fire extinguisher, and he sprayed it, and then it stopped, but then it comes roaring back, and it popped," the mom said. "It sounds like fireworks – when people say that, they’re telling the truth."

The hoverboard was an early Christmas gift from her daughter's boyfriend, who got it for $427 from a kiosk vendor at Crabtree Valley Mall.

"Other than looking at this very generic user manual, we didn’t say, 'Huh, there’s no warranty,'" the mom said.

The family said they were diligent about following the instructions not to charge the hoverboard for more than 2 hours and 15 minutes. But the hoverboard still caught fire.

"It's definitely very terrifying to think that kids are going to get these for Christmas, and the same thing could happen to them," said the daughter who received the board.

“This vendor has operated at Crabtree Valley Mall for a number of years without any issues," said Brian Asbill, a spokesman for the mall. "Prior to selling this product, the vendor sought and received assurances from its supplier that the batteries were tested and certified. However, in light of this incident, sales of this product have been suspended.”

The mall said the kiosk was the only vendor selling hoverboards.