UPDATED: Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 at 11:15 p.m.

Syracuse University has announced a temporary ban on hoverboards on campus because of evidence that hoverboards are prone to catching on fire.

The temporary ban will include the possession, storage and use of hoverboards on university property, according to an SU News release. First-time violators of the ban will be issued an informal warning, according to the release.

“The University has conducted a thorough analysis of the early research and has concluded that there exists a serious safety threat to our community,” said Tony Callisto, the Department of Public Safety’s chief law enforcement officer, in the release. “This is the responsible decision to keep our campus safe.”

Callisto did not immediately return an email or phone call requesting comment for this story. Hannah Warren, the public information officer for DPS, declined to comment beyond the press release.

Robert Howell, the acting director at the Office of Compliance and Field Operations for the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), sent a letter on Feb. 18 urging “manufacturers, importers and retailers” of hoverboards to comply with safety standards recently set by UL, a science safety company.

In the letter, Howell said that the CPSC could seize hoverboards imported to the U.S. that fail to meet those standards and recall domestic hoverboards that don’t meet the standards.

He added that manufacturers, distributors and retailers could face civil and criminal penalties for failing to report to the CPSC defects found in hoverboards. Howell cited 52 reported incidents of hoverboards catching on fire.

That came after the CPSC said in a January statement that it was investigating “dozens of fires involving hoverboards.”

More than 30 other universities announced bans on hoverboard use after a Dec. 16 statement made by Elliot Kaye, the chairman for the CPSC, regarding hoverboard safety.

Kaye said in the statement that the CPSC was investigating hoverboard battery packs and charger compatibility as potential causes of the machines catching fire. He also recommended that those who own hoverboards monitor them closely while charging, store them in an open dry area, wear safety gear when using them and to not charge them immediately after riding.

SU is continuing to monitor research being done by the CPSC and the National Fire Protection Association and “will revisit the hoverboard ban as needed,” according to the release.

Published on February 26, 2016 at 11:15 am

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu