Louisiana mom says flame-spitting hoverboard sparked house fire

LAFITTE, La., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A Louisiana mother said her house caught fire when her 12-year-old son's new hoverboard started shooting off flames while charging.

Jessica Horne of Lafitte said her son received the self-balancing scooter as a birthday gift Nov. 20 and he had only used it for one day before she spotted flames coming from the device while it was plugged in to charge the battery.

"It was like fireworks," Horne told WGNO-TV, "the middle part of the board -- just 'poof.'"

Horne said hoverboard was atop a mattress when it started spitting flames and the fire quickly spread to engulf the entire house. She said on Facebook her family's dog "looked lifeless" when she was pulled from the flames by firefighters, but she was revived when they gave her oxygen.

The mother said the house and all of its contents were determined to be a complete loss. She said her family was renting the home and the homeowner did not have insurance.

She said the hoverboard was ordered on Amazon.com from a company called Fit Turbo.

The incident is under investigation by the Louisiana State Fire Marshall's Office.