Firefighters blame hoverboard for house fire in Melbourne.

A Melbourne family were forced to flee their home yesterday following a house fire which firefighters believe was sparked by a children’s hoverboard toy. The unit in question was being charged in the bedroom at the time the fire began.

MFB western zone acting commander Phil Smith told News.com.au that a part of the hoverboard caught fire and quickly spread to the rest of the house.

Smith believes it’s a stark warning against the dangers of hoverboards. “We are unsure at this stage on whether it was the charger, the cables or the cords that started the blaze but it’s just very lucky no one was injured,” he said.

“These toys have been very controversial so I would suggest if you or your family member have one, to keep an eye on where in the house it is charged and make sure there are no toys or flammable items around,” he added.

25 firefighters came to the Melbourne home to put the fire out, taking almost an hour to extinguish it completely, yet the house was severely damaged.

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Consumer group Choice previously advised that the popular items, made famous by the Back to the Future films, could be a potential fire hazard.

The warning came after the London Fire Brigade issued it’s own warning after hoverboards caused two house fires in October of 2015.

According to experts, the fire risk is caused by the toys’ lithium batteries overcharging and exploding. Non-compliant plugs without fuses are said to be the blame, as they can boost the risk of the toy overheating and burning.

Did you purchase a hoverboard for your kids this Christmas?