welcome to news 4 this week. >> hi, everyone, i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. one of the hottest gifts of the season literally. now local firefighters are warning shoppers after a hover board ignited a fire in a local home. and speaking of holiday shopping, did you give out personal information at the register? what you should avoid telling the cashier the next time you check out. and it was an incredible discovery in a park. a hand dug cave being used as a home. now people who know the man who created it are speaking to news 4. first, they are some of the hottest gifts this holiday season. but chances are you have also seen the videos of hover boards

bursting into flames. one of the latest incidents happened down the road. a hover board caught fire in a house. we look at the damage and has a warning from firefighters. >> this is what was left of a hover board after it ignited and caused a fire. >> it ignited while it was being charged and rolled over to a bed and ignited the bedding in the bedroom. >> kevin frazier is the chief of the montgomery fire department. he says no one was hurt, but it highlights the dangers that exist. this hoverboard fire happened in alabama while a guy was riding it. >> it's on fire! >> and on tuesday this was the scene inside a mall in washington state as a hoverboard ignited there. consumers need to be extremely careful when buying a hoverboard or electronic device made outside of the u.s. often times they are not regulated. >> look for products that have a

ul listing on the box or on the product itself. also read all the manufacturer reference material. >> he also says many fires start when devices are overcharge d. >> be cautious when charging these items. make sure they are not charged unattended. do not leave them on charge overnight. >> as popular as hoverboards may be -- >> a lot of people at school have them. >> some consumers say they are not willing to take the risk. >> i think it's pretty dangerous. >> fire experts say having a functional smoke alarm increases surviving a fire by 50%. if you need one installed, contact your local fire department. >> hoverboard fires have also been reported in new york, florida. to see previous coverage open our nbc washington app and

search "hoverboard fires." they have made the devices too hot for retailers. amazon have pulled them from their website. sellers are being told to prove their product meets safety standards, which means having the ul labels. overstock.com stopped selling them l together. going through airport security can be a bit of a challenge especially when you have young kids. tsa agents showed us how parents can make it through more efficiently. tips include putting snacks in a clear baggy. you can bring regular sized bottles with formula and juice, but it will have to go through a special screening machine, which means that could take just a little while longer. >> there's no limit on the amount of bottles brought. through. the most important thing is making sure they are in clear enough bottles or containers where we can screen them

properly. if not we'll have to use alternative modes. >> it's recommended to arrive early at the airport and allow extra time. we have posted the guidelines for traveling with babies in our nbc washington app. police in fairfax city are defending charges against a homeless man as they say they have gotten a huge response from people who want to help him. the man dug out an elaborate cave in a public park. and now we're hearing from those who know the man. news 4's pat collins reports. >> reporter: people who know him say he was born in maryland. he worked as a landscaper and translator. for some time he lived in this 12-foot cave he dug in the woods a couple hundred yards behind police headquarters. it had two rooms, living quarters and a bedroom. the entrance covered by a piece

of plywood. when it was discovered, police evicted the man. the city filled in the cave and mr. raes was arrested and charged with destruction of property. the fallout has been sharp and fast. a number of people criticizing police for taking the home away from this homeless man. the sergeant says it was a matter of public safety. >> it is a public park. it's right next to an apartment complex with small children. had anybody come here if it wasn't covered up and fallen in, that would have been a problem for us as well. >> reporter: now to the center. a faith-based organization that helps homeless and people down on their luck. they say mr. raes was a regular who participated in bible studies here. >> we're shocked to hear that he was living the way that he was. we didn't know. we didn't have any clue he was living like that. but we did know he was living outdoors and we have a lot of

our guests live outdoors. >> an effort in our area to send blankets to syrian refugees had an incredible outcome. 60 tons of blankets have been collected so far this year. that's three times the amount that folks donated last year. the blankets are on their way to turkey where they can be distributed to refugees. it comes as the debate rages over whether to allow refugees to settle in maryland. since january the state department says 35 syrians have been settled in this area in maryland. in the last five years, 6700 refugees have been taken. 43% were resettled in baltimore. 34% in montgomery county. 9% in prince georges county. a scramble to buy more gifts for more deserving children in the district. news 4 this week returns, we look at the damage some grinchs did to gifts and the companies that are stepping in to rescue christmas. and a craft beer market in

virginia is getting bigger and bigger. it's moving into louden county.

@ rescue, several companies are jumping in to replace $25,000 worth of angel tree gifts stolen in the district. thieves broke into a ware us over the weekend. they stole presents donated to local children. two juveniles were arrested, at least three other thooieves got away. they wanted electronics like ipads. >> they are going to help about 2500 families. we're still going to do it. we're not going to let children not have christmas. >> walmart is donating $25,000 to replace the gifts. the washington nationals are also chipping in. a new craft brewery is coming to louden county and

bringing jobs and businesses to virginia farmers. the pilot malt house will be building an operation. the brewery will use more than 2 million pounds of barley, wheat and rooi over the next three years. the governor has been work iingo make virginia the east coast leader in craft beer industry. you expect a car to last a little while. a couple days at least. what happens if it doesn't? a viewer takes us on a journey about car inspection. chances are it's probably too much. when we return, what you can when we return, what you can avoid telling the cashier. who coined the term "side bread?" because there's nothing

"side" about this bread. it may look like the moon. but it's the star of the show. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop.

buy a car only to have a break down a few days later. then you find out maybe it shouldn't have passed its safety inspection. there are standards based on where you live. and in maryland you only need one when you buy or sell a used

car. a viewer says the car he bought shouldn't have never left the lot. he called the i h-team and tooks on a fascinating road trip. >>. >> reporter: opening his garage is something this dr. jeff says he's dreaded. >> we have had to put it in retirement. >> reporter: he bought it 11 months ago, but hasn't been able to drive it. >> this is the used vehicle we bought. it's a 2006 honda odyssey. >> reporter: they did the required government safety inspection. documents show they found some problems and fixed them before delivering it. >> the first time we started the vehicle it didn't start. >> reporter: he took it to his local mechanic, who is not a licensed inspector, but the van should not have passed its inspection. >> they found a laundry list of problems that they felt had to be addressed before it would pass inspection. >> reporter: who was right?

no one can give the i-team a definitive answer. state police is in charge of the vehicle inspection program, and only posted a vague list of what needs to be inspected on its website. >> there are 180 different components checked throughout your vehicle as it becomes inspected. >> reporter: even though they work for private businesses, all safety inspectors are licensed by the state. >> we do compliance checks on each station and also do investigative inspections on vehicles when we receive complaints. >> reporter: using a public records requests, there are more than 1,500 license inspectors in maryland. complaints popped about 140% between 2013 and 2014 resulting in at least 55 suspensions and 23 permanent revocations during the two-year period. >> the more miles on the car things can happen. so the quicker you get the complaint into us, the easier it is for us to investigate. >> reporter: that's a lesson

learned the hard way. he spent so much time trying to get them to replace the vehicle he missed the one-month statute of limitations to file a complaint and didn't realize by having another mechanic fix some of the problems the state could no longer investigate his case. >> a lot of stress. >> reporter: he says after getting the run around for nearly ten months, he called the news 4 i-team. we found state police have received five complaints about them in the last two years. the company resolved four of them before the state launched an investigation. one licensed inspector unrelated to the case was suggestispended passing a vehicle that does not meet standards. >> we have 71 licensed inspectors in 15 locations. we had one inspector that made a mistake. >> reporter: the vice president at dar cars. >> they suspended his license for 30 days. we supported that decision. we didn't appeal it. there was no other complaints. we made sure we disciplined him in house and also put him there

our training again to make sure everything was satisfactory. >> you are inspecting the cars you're selling. so there's this idea of could there be potential conflict of interest. is a car going to be safe if you're inspecting the car that you have an incentive to sell? >> reporter: she's create edd aw e-mail, talked to customers to e-mail directly with robs. she would not speak specifically to the complaints, but did offer to get him a new vehicle. >> we wanted him to be satisfied with his purchase. we're in the process of buying the vehicle back and covering every expense since they took possession. >> they have also offered to give us a new car of our choice at cost with no profit to them. they are going to let us do that with preinspected by our mechanic. >> the doctor says he's thrilled that this 11-month bumpy ride is finally over. the maryland state police want a

better website and hope to move from a paper-based inspection system to an electronic one that will allow them to do a better job at tracking possible problems. this story started with a tip. if you have one, go to the nbc washington app if there's something you want the i-team to check out. you think nothing about providing your zip code at the checkout, but as erika gonzalez report, you may want to think twice before giving it. it may protect your privacy when making those holiday purchases. >> reporter: fill up at the pump and you'll have to do this. but inside a store, there's no requirement to give your zip. which is why carrhe doesn't ask it or any other personal information. >> e we check their i.d. that's all we need. we don't need their e-mail or first born or anything. if they want to see our sales, they will go to instagram or

facebook and check in at their time. >> reporter: he and his business partner treat their customers the way they'd want to be treated. >> me as a consumer, i do not appreciate being inundated with e-mails or text messages. if i want to check out a sale, i should have a right to go at my time. >> reporter: not all store's intentions are so considerate. >> the stores are using the pretense of using a credit card as requiring your zip code. >> reporter: scott perry is an attorney who has sued on behalf of shoppers. >> what most people don't realize is there's technology now that with your name on the credit card and the zip code, they can actually find your address. >> stores can use that information to send you marketing material like catalogs. >> we think it's kind of annoying. i know it bothers me when people e-mail me about sales or stuff like that. >> or asking for your zip code. >> unless i'm at a gas station,

why should they need that? >> erika gonzalez, news 4. >> just practice saying no. a good way to determine whether you need to give out personal information such as zip code, if it's a machine prompting you, it's likely for security reasons. if it's a person, you don't have to give it. the job is to entertain, but it takes on a whole new meaning when you're playing to kids battling life-threatening illnesses. when we return, we take you inside a heartwarming trip to the capital.

tis the season for local athletes doing good. one of the big things for the washington capital this is year is to stay together as a team. the entire group jumped on a bus and made a huge assist to the kids. >> reporter: donning their santa hats and toothless grins, the

washington capitals stormed into the pediatric ward at georgetown university hospital and immediately felt the tug at their own heart strings. >> the first kid we saw was going to be a year in a week. that kind of felt sick a little bit because our daughter just turned a year. i was getting nervous that it was going to be a bunch of young kids and how i was going to feel about it. >> reporter: the players weren't the only ones feeling a little uneasy at first. >> look, they have stuff for you. >> 3-year-old nolan is up and at um after a visit that left him feeling anew. >> he jumped up and threw some m&ms in his mouth, he hadn't ate all day, and here we are. he's so happy. it's made him so happy. >> we were in there and the one

girl wasn't eating or drinking the last couple days. we left and she started eating and drink. things like that that just make you feel so good about it. as hard as it is coming in, it it's worth it, that's for sure. >> i love it. there were a lot of smiles and hugs. all of the children able to spend five to ten minutes with their favorite players. that's all for "news 4 this week." i'm veronica johnson, thank you for joining us. e we leave you with some "star wars" mania from this week. remember be safe, be kind, be happy.

that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop.

♪ welcome to redskins chronicles. we look at the piece of the teams story legacy. it's the redskins hosting buffalo on sunday as the league continues to celebrate is super bowl rematches. this is a rematch of super bowl 26 where the redskins beat the bills 37-24. also during this sunday's game they're enductin