Bluetooth Fidget Spinners Are Exploding in the U.S.

Fidget spinners. You either love them or hate them, though chances are you hate them. And if you needed another reason to dislike the global craze, this will do nicely: fidget spinners now explode.

At least two Bluetooth-equipped fidget spinners ignited and burst into flames while charging, according to local media reports out of Michigan and Alabama. In both cases, the spinners were equipped with batteries to power their internal speakers (which itself begs the question of why). Reportedly, when the trendy toys were plugged into a wall outlet, they caught fire, melted and burned the surface they were resting on.

Kimberley Allums of Gardendale, Alabama said that her son’s fidget spinner was charging for less than 45 minutes when it exploded. “We were about five or 10 minutes from leaving the house for the day. [My son] noticed it burst into flames and he started screaming,” she told WBRC. “I was downstairs and all I heard was ‘fire, fire.’ The fidget spinner wasn’t smoking, it was in flames.” Notably, there was no manufacturer information on its packaging — only “Made in China.” Michelle Carr of Fenton, Michigan told a similar story to WEYI. Her fidget spinner exploded after just 30 minutes.

The rush to manufacture and produce fidget spinners and the general lack of safety standards and regulations surrounding them certainly adds to the risk of fire, according to Gizmodo. The Consumer Product Safety Commission told the publication that it is investigating the incidents — and recommended that you “stay with products that have batteries when they are charging.” Presumably, so it doesn’t burn your house down.

If your fidget spinner happens to explode, the CPSC urges that you report the incident here.