Quick action saves exploding Christmas gift from destroying River Falls home

It was a happy Christmas when Santa brought Monorovers-- also called hoverboards -- to 11-year-old Riley and 8-year-old Addison Nesbitt.

The girls enjoyed the electric mini-scooters. They operate like automatic skateboards.

But less than a month later, one of those gifts did the opposite of keep on giving.

Last Thursday at about 5:30 p.m. the recharging Monorover exploded inside their house at 1788 Kimberly Circle.

“I saw (the flames) and I stopped, and I thought, ‘Wow, how could this ever happen to our family?’” Riley said. “I never thought it would happen.”

But it did. And it’s a miracle, the family said, that no one was injured, and the house is still standing.

Parents Kim and Jason Nesbitt said quick action -- theirs, and the police and fire departments -- plus a great deal of luck kept the blaze from becoming more serious.

Riley’s Monorover was charging in a home office. She was sitting in the kitchen getting ready for supper with Addison, their 5-year-old brother Colton, and two friends, when they heard a loud noise.

Riley, who hadn’t realized her mother was in the garage getting frozen pizzas, thought she had gone into the office and dropped something.

When Riley opened the door, she got quite the shock.

“I saw the flames shoot up,” she said. “I looked at it, I yelled for my mom, and she came in and told us to get out and go across the street to our neighbor’s house.”

Kim came into the house to see what the noise was. She found her kids screaming.

“You’re not prepared for your house to be on fire, so when it happens you really just go into crisis mode,” Kim said. “And start doing everything you can. So I got the kids outside, I gave my oldest (Riley) my cell phone.”

It was the first time Riley had ever called 9-1-1. It was scary, she said, but the dispatcher was very helpful. Riley said the fire safety education she’d had in school helped too.

“It wasn’t as scary as you’d think it would be,” she said.

Meanwhile, Jason was returning from driving another of his kids’ friends home.

“I happened to look at the house as I was pulling in and I saw fire through the office windows,” Jason said. “I think my stomach completely sank, and I couldn’t get into the house fast enough.

“I threw my truck in park as fast as I possibly could.”

With the kids safely across the street at a neighbor’s house, and Riley calling 9-1-1, Kim and Jason rushed to douse the flames.

“The thing is, when you have an active fire, trying to fill up a bowl of water, it doesn’t fill very fast,” he said. “When you know there’s flames, you can't fill up fast enough.”

So Jason let the water run, and Kim filled a bucket of water while Jason tried to smother the flames.

“As I was doing that, then (Kim) came in and threw a bucket of water and then I was able to grab the good side of the Monorover, take it and run it outside and throw it outside.”

Then the Nesbits tried to smother the flames with a wet towel.

When the police arrived, an officer put out the remaining flames with a fire extinguisher.

The Monorover was destroyed. Parts of it sprayed across the damaged office like shrapnel, Kim said.

The office in their home is damaged and will need cleaning and fixing. A large piece of the carpet was ruined. Charred bits of Monorover were scattered across the room.

The smell is also unpleasant, the Nesbitts said.

But, luckily, the house is still livable and the fire was snuffed before it spread.

“If we wouldn’t have been home, or just left, this would’ve been a total loss,” Jason said. “They’ve already said that.”

Despite their scare, the Nesbitts are counting their blessings. And they said they’re grateful to the police and fire departments and their neighbors.

The Nesbitts have hired a cleaning company to help them scour the office. They’re also getting rid of Addison’s undamaged Monorover.

They said they’d encourage others interested in a hoverboard type device to be careful.

River Falls Fire Chief Scott Nelson said hoverboard type scooters can be dangerous. He urged anyone who owns a hoverboard or is considering owning one to be vigilant.

“Do the research and be aware of the potential hazards and react accordingly,” Nelson said.

For the complete story, see the Jan. 28 print issue of the River Falls Journal.