Orlando, FL – Hoverboard fire at apartment building limited by sprinkler system

A hoverboard set out to charge burst into flames inside an Orange County apartment Thursday, displacing three families, according to Orange County Fire Rescue. More than a dozen firefighters responded after the fire broke out in a third-floor apartment on Avalon Reserve Boulevard just before 8 p.m.  Officials said the hoverboard went up in flames while it was charging.

A dog was removed from the home after residents were evacuated. “There was one child who apparently ran in there to get the dog,” Battalion Chief Carollee Burrell said. The child was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

The mother of the child, who asked not to be identified, said she was at work when she got the frantic call. The hoverboard was a Christmas gift for her son. The son, who also was not identified, said the hoverboard started to shake before bursting into flames.

The flames did not spread throughout the apartment but sprinklers went off inside of it and two neighboring units. Orange County Fire Rescue said three families were displaced due to water damage from the sprinkler. The Red Cross is helping those residents find a place to stay.