Exploding tech is quite the exclusive field. Previously, it was the preserve of the inaccurately-named ‘hoverboards’, which were banned by many retailers after a high number of them burst into flames, and Samsung’s literally too-hot-to-handle Galaxy Note 7. The thrill of getting third-degree burns from functional bits of plastic has been noted by fidget spinner manufacturers, who have now added the functionality to trendy toy.
Fidget Spinners Blowing Up
A woman in Gardendale, Alabama reports that her son’s fidget spinner burst into flames, according to WBRC News. The spinner in question contains built-in speakers for playing music via Bluetooth. As such, the gadget requires charging. The toy exploded during its charging cycle. The mother, Kimberly Allums, reported her son started screaming:
“He noticed that it burst into flames and he just started screaming. I was downstairs and all I heard was ‘fire… fire’ and the fidget spinner had literally… it was smoking. It was in flames.”
Allums says the spinner charged for less than 45 minutes before exploding. The fire scorched the carpet before the flaming plastic was extinguished under water in a sink. Allums explained:
“We were about five to ten minutes from leaving the house for the day before this happened. So it was nothing but God that held us back because I was actually running late that morning. I just really want people to be aware of this because a lot of people have been inboxing me reaching out to me leaving messages saying my child has this same fidget spinner. Anytime, you have anything that needs to be charged, we really need to be paying attention to the manufactures of these, doing our research.”
Cool. Got to get one of these.