By Althea Serad (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Dec 29, 2015 06:00 AM EST
Tags HOVERBOARD EXPLODES, HOVERBOARD EXPLOSION, Texas, U.S., HOVERBOARD EXPLODES TEXAS, HOVERBOARD CATCHES FIRE TEXAS, HOVERBOARD EXPLOSIONS, HOVERBOARD FIRES, HOVERBOARD ACCIDENTS, HOVERBOARD INCIDENTS, DEERBROOK MALL, HOVERBOARD FAIL, HOVERBOARD FAIL TEXAS

A hoverboard exploded and caught fire at the Deerbrook Mall in Texas Monday, causing a mall-wide evacuation.

Firefighters responded to the scene of the hoverboard explosion, which took place around 3 p.m. at a mall kiosk selling the devices. A loud explosion was first heard by shoppers, which was followed by the hoverboard being engulfed in flames.

According to witnesses, some shoppers initially thought the hoverboard explosion were gunshots, causing momentary panic inside the mall.

"We heard what we thought was a bomb," shopper Amanda Rucka said. "We ran out to see, of course, to see what it was and it was actually a hoverboard that caught on fire and it was the batteries that were blowing up, not a bomb."

The worker at the hoverboard store tried to put out the flames from the explosion. Unfortunately, people at a portion of the mall had to be evacuated for an hour due to the thick smoke.

Mashable reported that on Twitter, witnesses and shoppers posted photos and videos of the hoverboard explosion, as well as the evacuation of hundreds of people. Some photos showed a hoverboard box catching fire next to a large plant between two kiosks at the first floor.

One witness told NewsFix Houston that the boxed toy was just sitting on the shelf when it "started exploding...The worker at the kiosk threw it to the ground and then the fire began."

Apparently, the hoverboard was sold by the kiosk named Xcel Toys & Games. The hoverboards that the store sells were a "smart balance wheel" kind that are produced by the Miberi company.

Fortunately, no one was hurt during the hoverboard explosion.

According to ABC 13, the mall released a statement Monday after the incident:

"This afternoon, there was an incident with a hoverboard at Deerbrook Mall, which resulted in a small fire that was quickly contained. As a precaution, the Humble Fire Department responded. Thankfully, there were no injuries or property damage, and Deerbrook Mall remains open at this time."

While hoverboards have become a hot commodity this holiday season, that doesn't make the toys any safer. Many explosions have occurred in the country over the past few weeks.

In Lacey Township, New Jersey Sunday, a hoverboard caught fire while inside a family home. Officials are currently investigating the incident.

According to Lt. Chris Bruno, nobody was hurt. The hoverboard fail took place while the toy was charging. Residents have been advised not to leave their hoverboards unattended while charging since.

Meanwhile, in Huntsville, Alabama, a couple has filed a suit against Hoverboards Huntsville after one of the company's toys damaged their home extensively on November 23.

According to Fox San Antonio, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently investigating 16 fires in 12 states due to hoverboard incidents.

The U.S.' three largest airlines have even banned the devices due to the potential fire danger that their lithium-ion batteries pose. Other retailers have also stopped selling hoverboards from their sites.

© 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.