Flaming fidget spinners send lawyers scurrying for plaintiffs

Intended to relieve anxiety, fidget spinners instead are reportedly catching fire — and one law firm is looking for plaintiffs for a class action lawsuit against the gadget’s creators.

“Fidget spinners, trendy novelty gadgets that were originally marketed as a treatment for anxiety and ADHD, have been reported to catch fire while charging and choke kids who accidentally swallow them,” claims Washington-based law firm Schmidt & Clark L.L.P. in its call for clients on its website this month.

News reports emerged in recent months as the spinners gained in popularity.

In two cases reported by Newsweek magazine in June, the spinners’ batteries overheated while plugged into outlets, and when they caught on fire the toys melted and burned the surfaces they were sitting on.

“He noticed that it burst into flames and he just started screaming," said one mother of her son’s spinner. "I was downstairs and all I heard was ‘fire … fire’ and the fidget spinner had literally, it was smoking, it was in flames.”