‘Many items have non-compliant plugs without fuses> increases risk of device overheating, exploding, catching fire’
% Cheap 'profit-first,safety-last' designs> give plugins a bad reputation % http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3358357/Now-electric-unicycle-sparks-fire-guts-house-fire-brigade-warns-against-using-cheap-batteries.html Electric unicycle exploded and destroyed our living room and Christmas pre sents: Family issue warning about dangers of the devices following fire 13 December 2015 ANDY DOLAN,DAILY MAIL & JULIAN ROBINSON,MAILONLINE [images http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55BB2B00000578-3358357-image-a-47_1450026105535.jpg This was the scene after a blaze at a family home which was caused by an electric unicycle overheating while charging http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55BB2F00000578-3358357-image-a-48_1450026110974.jpg Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said the wheel had been charging for 20 minutes when the batteries overheated http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55BB1B00000578-3358357-image-a-49_1450026129882.jpg Lithium batteries can burn intensely and even though the fur niture and carpet conformed to UK safety standards, they caught fire easily, gutting the downstairs of the property http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55BB2700000578-3358357-image-a-50_1450026132755.jpg The plastic casing around the wheel melted and the contents of the lithium batteries burst out, hitting a chest of drawers and onto the carpet, fire crews said http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55FEC500000578-3358357-image-a-52_1450026155120.jpg Fire damage: The lounge and hallway of the property were gutted following the blaze which happened on Monday http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55FE8100000578-3358357-image-a-51_1450026147006.jpg Pictures show the extent of the damage to the property in Bulkington, Warwickshire, which was caused by a gadget overheating while charging http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55FED500000578-3358357-image-a-53_1450026166236.jpg Fire investigators say the charger for the item was correct but one officer said 'I believe this incident could be down to quality issues' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/13/17/2F55FE6900000578-3358357-image-a-54_1450026172175.jpg Melted carpet could be seen on the driveway of the home in the wake of the devastating fire on Monday ] -Lounge and hallway of home in Bulkington, Warwickshire was destroyed -The blaze was caused when the gadget overheated while it was charging -Unicycle had been charging for 20 minutes when batteries overheated Catherine and Gavin Hancock have spent last week living in hotel after fire A family’s Christmas has been ruined after their electronic unicycle exploded while charging, destroying their lounge and their children’s pre sents. Catherine and Gavin Hancock have spent the last week living in a hotel after the electronic unicycle's batteries ig nited, setting their sofa alight. It is the latest in a number of fires and exp losions linked to the powered skateboards, which have been billed as a must-have Christmas present, and follows the death of 15-year-old Nawaf Al-Tuwayan last week after he fell off a Hoverboard and was hit by a bus. British Airways and the US’s three biggest airlines have all banned Hoverboards after a string of incidents in which they caught on fire. Yesterday Mrs Hancock said the couple had so far been unable tell their two daughters about the full extent of the damage done to their home in Bulkington, Warwickshire. ‘It has been horrendous and I can barely talk about what has happened. It is all still so raw, especially happening so close to Christmas,’ she said. The 37-year-old added that she hoped the tragedy – which left her home severely smoke damaged – would alert other parents to how dangerous the boards can be, saying: ‘It was just charging on the sofa when it exploded. We just want to warn people of the danger these things can pose.’ Yesterday was the first day Mrs Hancock, a fraud investigator, and her 40-year-old husband were both able to spend with their children since the blaze wrecked their Christmas preparations on Monday afternoon last week. The electronic unicycle, which was advertised as being brand new, was bought from a market and had been charging for just 20 minutes when the batteries overheated. The resultant blaze burned some of the family’s Christmas presents, but no one was injured. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said the plastic casing around the board had melted and the contents of the lithium batteries were ejected, bouncing off a chest of drawers and on to the carpet. Lithium batteries can burn intensely, and the family’s fur niture and carpet quickly caught fire. A fire service spokesman said: ‘I have come across issues with e-cigarettes that use a similar type of lithium battery and the issues can be either poor quality batteries or using an incompatible charger. ‘In this case the charger was the correct item so I believe this incident could be down to quality issues. We would ask that people only charge any sort of rechargeable appliance while monitoring and never while out. Also, only buy off reputable retailers.’ ... The two-wheeled powered skateboards have proven incredibly popular, but many of the gadgets have faulty or shoddy batteries, charging cables and plugs. On Thursday Nawaf Al-Tuwayan became what is believed to be the first victim of the craze when he fell off a Hoverboard while running an errand to the shops and stumbled into the path of a bus in Alperton, north-west London. In the past year around 15,000 unsafe Hoverboards, which retail for between £200 and £350, have been detained at UK ports. Halfords have also recalled a number of their boards due to plug issues. National Trading Standards warned about the danger poor quality devices can pose earlier this month. A spokesman said: ‘Many of the items have been found to have non-compliant plugs without fuses, which increases the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire.’ In October grandfather-of-six Paul Hodkinson was charging a £300 Hoverboard he was going to give to his grandson when it exploded, causing £25,000 worth of damage to his [kittchen] in Deal, Kent. British Airways, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines have all banned the devices from hold and check-in luggage after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission began investigating at least ten reports of Hoverboard fires. According to guidance from the Department for Transport, the use of Hoverboards on public highways or the pavement is illegal. The boards do not currently meet the legal standards required for a vehicle to be registered and licensed for road use, and under the Highway Act 1835 it is an offence to ride or drive a vehicle – which would include a Hoverboard – on the pavement. [© dailymail.co.uk] http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Only-You-Can-Prevent-Hoverboard-fires-tp4679021.html Only You Can Prevent Hoverboard fires Dec 04 2015 For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Electric-unicycle-exploded-destroyed-Xmas-presents-living-room-tp4679226.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
