Children rescued from Pudsey home after hoverboard won in raffle explodes whilst on charge

Huge damage was caused in the downstairs of the home following the devastating explosion - which almost injured children living at the address.

The family from Pudsey, who wished to remain anonymous, have used the hoverboard daily since it was given as a present.

The mum had won it in a raffle and put it away for her children and grandchildren last Christmas.

On Wednesday (Nov 24), the mum had gone out before getting a phone call from her daughter to say there had been an explosion from the hoverboard battery as it was charging.

The explosion caused shards of the casing to fly across the home and one landed on the living room carpet - burning the floor.

Thick black smoke filled the house as the family called the emergency services, who arrived within minutes.

Three of the children were stuck upstairs while the fire raged at the bottom of the stairs in the hallway.

"There was nothing we could do until the fire brigade came", the homeowner said.

When emergency services arrived, the children were all rescued.

They were taken to hospital to be checked over after suffering smoke inhalation.

Soot has now filled every room in the home which will now need to be redecorated, the homeowner said.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said this was an isolated incident and the first of its type in the area.

Crews from Bradford Fire Station, Shipley Fire Station and Stanningley Fire Station attended to deal with the fire.

They provided the following fire safety advice for Leeds residents who charge their electronic devices:

Avoid charging your electronic device for long periods and don’t leave the device charger plugged in overnight or when you are out.

When your device is charged, always remove the charger from the power socket.

Don’t allow any of your devices to become covered with pillows, bedding, or clothing.

Only use the correct charger and power cable that has been recommended by the manufacturer and don’t use chargers or cables which you suspect to be counterfeit. Such items are likely to breach UK safety standards and the use of poor quality components may increase the fire risk in your home.

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