Feds link hoverboard to fire that killed 2, led to death of firefighter DeVoe

HARRISBURG — Federal safety regulators believe a hoverboard is to blame for a fire in Harrisburg that killed two girls and led to the death of a firefighter from York County who was struck by an alleged DUI driver as he headed to the scene.

The girls, ages 10 and 3, were killed March 10 in Harrisburg. They are believed to be the first in the U.S. to die in a fire caused by a faulty hoverboard.

Harrisburg career firefighter Lt. Dennis DeVoe, 42, of Stewartstown, died March 11, a day after he was struck on his way to the house fire.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Monday announced that it believes the device that sparked that deadly blaze was a LayZ Board.

The commission says owners of the device should immediately stop using it. They say more than 3,000 of the self-balancing scooters were imported to the United States from China. They can be disposed of at recycling centers.

They note the warning only applies to the LayZ Board, spelled L-A-Y-Z, not the similarly named Lazyboard hoverboard.

Khanyae S. Kendall, of the 1900 block of Bellevue Road, faces more than a dozen charges related to DeVoe’s death, including six felonies and one count each of homicide by vehicle and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, according to charging documents.