WSU students told to leave hoverboards at home

Hoverboards have been banned in all buildings on Washington State University campuses, including the WSU Tri-Cities campus in Richland.

University officials are concerned about reports and warnings that batteries from the electronic skateboards have unexpectedly burst into flame. They already have been banned on major U.S. airline flights.

The WSU ban will be in place until hoverboard manufacturers can demonstrate the batteries reliably meet safety standards.

Although the ban does not specifically cover the use of hoverboards on WSU campuses outside of buildings, WSU Fire Marshall Rod Holmes is asking students who live on the Pullman or other campuses not to bring them back to school when they return for the new semester next week.

“We believe this is a very serious fire safety concern, particularly on residential campuses,” he said, in a statement. The school will work with students who already have hoverboards on campus to arrange for their removal.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 1:54 PM with the headline "WSU students told to leave hoverboards at home."