Authorities in Atlantic County, NJ are raising safety warnings about hoverboards after one caught fire inside of a trash truck on Tuesday causing a full-scale emergency response.
Two sanitation workers completing their rounds along Vardon Road in Brigantine began smelling smoke from the back of their truck around 11:30 a.m. Both employees leaped from the truck, noticed smoke coming from the rear, and began trying to put out the fire with extinguishers aboard the vehicle.
The workers also contacted 9-1-1 which dispatched Fire and Emergency Medical Crews from the Brigantine Fire Department who arrived within minutes and safely put out the flames. After sorting through the materials in the truck, a scorched red hoverboard was found and determined to be the cause of the fire.
Officials from the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) are thankful that no one was injured in the incident, but are taking the opportunity to remind residents of what should and what should not be placed in the household trash.
“People don’t realize that there are a lot of items that they should not dispose of in household trash that could be dangerous to workers and the community,” said Sarah Verillo with ACUA. “Please make sure to check if your items are considered special waste before throwing it in your household trash.”
A full list of prohibited items, including lithium-ion batteries is available on ACUA’s website.
