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Federal regulators recall 53K hoverboards after sisters die in fire

Some 53,000 42-volt self-balancing hoverboards have been recalled as they pose a fire hazard. Photo courtesy of USCPSC/Website
Some 53,000 42-volt self-balancing hoverboards have been recalled as they pose a fire hazard. Photo courtesy of USCPSC/Website

March 31 (UPI) -- Federal regulators have announced a voluntary recall of some 53,000 hoverboards after two girls died in a fire.

The recall of the 42-volt self-balancing hoverboards was announced Thursday by the company Jetson Electric Bikes of Brooklyn, N.Y., and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in a joint statement, saying the product's battery pack can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

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The agency said there have been multiple reports of the hoverboards burning, sparking or melting, including several of which stated flames had ignited from the product.

The regulator said a 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister in Hellertown, Pa., were killed in an April 1, 2022, fire that investigators determined originated from a 42-volt Jetson Rogue hoverboard.

The sisters had died and their parents had suffered smoke-inhalation injuries as the fire had spread through the house for the room of origin, it said.

CPSC and Jetson Electric Bikes are urging consumers to "immediately" stop using the product, cease charging the hoverboard and contact the company for a full refund.

Jetson Electric Bikes said in a separate statement that the affected hoverboards were manufactured in 2018 and 2019 and were sold at Target stores throughout the country and online.

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