38 displaced as fire points to hoverboard

Nine families at a Gwinnett County apartment complex were displaced after a hoverboard caught fire inside an apartment Thursday night.

Smoke from the fire at the Fields Peachtree Corners Apartments in the 6500 block of Hillandale Drive damaged an entire building, Gwinnett fire spokesman Justin Wilson said.

The blaze started inside one of the units just after 10 p.m. The occupants of that apartment were not home at the time, Wilson said. Neighbors could hear their smoke alarms sounding through the walls.

“The fire investigator determined the fire originated in the living room and was caused by hoverboard components,” he said.

When firefighters arrived, they found flames shooting from a patio door and five people trapped on a nearby third-floor balcony. They quickly knocked down the flames and contained the fire to the apartment, allowing those trapped to escape through a breezeway, Wilson said.

The damage to the apartment was extensive, he said, but no one was injured. Another unit sustained water damage.

“With multiple doors forced open during evacuations and smoke damage throughout the entire structure, it was determined the entire building would be displaced due to the damage,” Wilson said.

A total of 38 people inside the 10-unit building were affected, according to fire officials.