UNION TOWNSHIP -- A New Jersey college has banned an immensely popular device that has both caused injuries and also spontaneously caught on fire.

As of this week, the hoverboard is no longer allowed on Kean University's campus, according to the university. The school will confiscate any hoverboard found on either its Union or Ocean campus, spokeswoman Susan Kayne said.

A popular holiday gift, the hoverboard is a "self-balancing scooter" that's like a motorized skateboard. It's a nod to a levitating board of the same name seen in the "Back to the Future" movie series.

Although a source of fun, the hoverboard has also proven to be a hazard. Local emergency rooms have reported a series of injuries from hoverboard accidents, and a hoverboard notably caught fire in Lacey Township, one of many documented incidents of the boards bursting into flames.

Kean banned the hoverboard at the recommendation of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, which suggested that all colleges prohibit them, Kayne said. The boards are already banned on flights operated by major airlines.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.