Editor’s note: this story is ongoing and will be updated if or when more information becomes available.

At around 2 p.m. on Feb. 15, residents of MacKimmie Hall in Southwest Residential were forced to evacuate after a Teamgee H20 MINI electric skateboard started to emit smoke and sparks. 

The smoke began in one of the rooms on the second floor, leaving the hallway smokey. The owner then brought the skateboard outside to prevent any further harm.

Judah Katz, a sophomore journalism major, is the owner of the electric skateboard and describes his surprise as the skateboard started to smoke.

“I was playing video games when the skateboard started to smoke. I immediately took the board and ran out the building as it started to spark. I left it on the street and it started to explode,” said Katz.

Only when Katz brought the skateboard outside did it catch on fire.

The police and firefighters then arrived to assess the situation. Residents were let back into the hall after 30 minutes.

The Amherst Fire Department believes that the cause of the fire is the lithium battery that powers the skateboard overheating.