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Agency keeping close eye on hoverboards

Posted at 10:59 AM, Feb 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-19 05:33:18-05

They're fancy and futuristic—and as we're quickly finding out, they can also be very dangerous.

newsnet5.com told you about Hallie Abrams' son's hoverboard exploding and catching fire in their Orange Village home. 

She said the most frustrating thing was that she couldn't get a clear picture on which boards to steer clear from because there's no specific list or recall yet.

"It's hard to assume products you buy are automatically going to be dangerous," said Sheryl Harris, Cuyahoga County's Director of Consumer Affairs. "That's not your go-to point. It should be safe. It's being sold."

But when you scroll through Amazon, which is where most people have been buying them, you can easily find hundreds still for sale.

So how do you regulate a brand new product flying off the shelves?

"It makes a challenge for our agency," said Scott Wolfson, communications director for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission launched a nationwide investigation after reports of explosions in 24 states, including Ohio.

They narrowed down that many hoverboards were coming straight to people's homes from Shenzen, China via online retailers like Amazon or Ali Baba. 

"I would imagine if it's a foreign-based company, the same rules don't apply," said Sue McConnell of the Cleveland Better Business Bureau.

For now, they've seized thousands from ports, banned them from all planes and named 13 brands that are unsafe while they collect evidence to take more action. 

But even more than the fires, the agency is worried about the dangers of falling.

You've probably seen this:

Mike Tyson tumbled off a hoverboard. And every day officials say more injury reports are coming in. 

"We cannot act soon enough," said Wolfson. "It should have been done yesterday. It should have been done the week before."