Family's house wrecked by blaze sparked by charging hoverboard

Michael Clarke20 January 2016

A 13-year-old boy has told how he saved two of his friends after a hoverboard exploded inside their house.

Jibril Muhammed Faris, dragged his friend Tony Chiem, nine, and his sister Karen Chiem, eight, to safety by taking them from the room to an upstairs bedroom before calling 999.

The youngster said he was playing at the home in Wyke, Bradford, when the board burst into flames while charging.

He told Sky News, "All of a sudden all of this white smoke started coming out of the segway board. Then all of a sudden it explodes and goes boom.

"My first instinct was to get everyone out alive. There was so much fire and smoke," he said.

Jibril followed instructions to stop smoke entering the room by putting blankets under the door before the younger children's mother, Thu Thi Tram, arrived and led the trio out to safety.

"I was about to smash the window open but then the mum came upstairs and managed to open the door," the youngster said.

West Yorkshire Fire Service commended Jibril's "quick-thinking actions" and issued safety advice on using the toy.

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