A British vlogger was excited to try out his brand new hoverboard when he got a nasty surprise this week. And naturally it was all caught on tape.
The hoverboard (sorry guys, that’s what they’re called now) caught fire after a night of charging and the vlogger’s very first attempt at using it. As the vlogger explains in the video, he stepped onto the board and nothing was happening. After less than a minute of tilting and cajoling the gadget, the thing burst into flames.
At this point, it seems like the hoverboard snuff film is becoming its own genre on YouTube. With such high demand, factories in China are pumping out hoverboards at a breakneck pace. And the wiring on these things aren’t always up to par.
Over the past few months hoverboards have been banned from public and private places all around the world, including dozens of American universities. This is unfortunate for people who want to ride hoverboards, but it’s probably a good idea until agencies like the US Consumer Product Safety Commission figure out how to certify that these things won’t become rolling balls of fire.
Until then, we’ll probably keep seeing videos like this pop up weekly on YouTube. Let’s just hope nobody gets seriously hurt one of these days.
If you suspect your hoverboard is dreaming of self-immolation, chuck it in the nearest river and don’t buy another one until the insides of these things are no longer made of balsa wood and firecrackers.