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Teenage boy praised for saving children after hoverboard explodes

A 13-year-old boy has been praised for saving two young children after a hoverboard exploded - fu...
Newstalk
Newstalk

16.01 19 Jan 2016


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Teenage boy praised for saving...

Teenage boy praised for saving children after hoverboard explodes

Newstalk
Newstalk

16.01 19 Jan 2016


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A 13-year-old boy has been praised for saving two young children after a hoverboard exploded - fuelling safety concerns about the popular gadget.

Jibril Muhammed Faris was playing at his friend's house in Wyke, Bradford, in the UK, when the board set alight while charging.

The youngster led his friend Tony Chiem, nine, and his sister Karen Chiem, eight, from the room to an upstairs bedroom before calling 999.

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Jibril then followed instructions to stop smoke entering the room.

The younger children's mother, Thu Thi Tram, eventually got back into the house and led the trio out.

She, her husband and the kids had to be treated for shock and smoke inhalation at Bradford Royal Infirmary but escaped without serious injury.

The incident comes after thousands of hoverboards were seized and some airlines banned them over fire concerns.

Jibril's dad, Tariq Majid, said his son was still having nightmares about the incident.

"As his father, I am really proud of him," he told Bradford's Telegraph and Argus newspaper.

"A police officer outside said 'Your son is a hero, if it was not for him they would have died'.

"I'm just happy that they are all alive."

The living room of the house was gutted by the fire - and the rest of the property heavily smoke-logged.

Local fire station manager Mark Helliwell said: "The children were in the living room when they saw smoke coming from the hoverboard and within seconds it suddenly exploded into flames.

"This must have been quite a scary experience for them.

"The teenager's quick-thinking actions are certainly commendable."

The fire service said the likely cause of the fire was the hoverboard's lithium batteries overheating.


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