Bestselling hoverboards too hot to handle, taken off shelves

New York

SO-CALLED hoverboards, the two-wheeled, gliding motorised scooters that have taken over sidewalks and social media in recent months, are coming under greater scrutiny after reports of fires and explosions.

With the fad growing and people getting hurt, some online retailers are removing the products from their sites, and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is rushing to investigate as the Christmas shopping season rolls on.

The commission has logged 29 emergency room visits and 11 reports of fires in 10 states, said Elliot F Kaye, chairman of the commission, in an interview Monday.

"We're particularly sensitive to the fact that many have been purchased and wrapped," he said.

The self-balancing boards do not actually hover or fly, but they go fast enough to attract trouble. Officials have banned the troublesome toys from city sidewalks and from airplanes, and fire marshals across the United States are issuing warnings against them amid stories of fires and explosion…