Video captures Tesla vehicle bursting into flames as Hurricane Helene floods Florida garage

Video captures Tesla vehicle bursting into flames as Hurricane Helene floods Florida garage Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Unsettling video shows Tesla ignite in Helene flooding A Tesla caught fire inside a Florida home’s garage, forcing the family to flee the house. A house in Florida caught fire in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene after a Tesla burst into flames in the garage purportedly due to coming into contact with saltwater, Reuters reported. Nine people were in the Siesta Key home Sunday night when the Tesla vehicle, a Model X Plaid caught fire, KOLOTV reported. The family ran downstairs and were shocked to see their vehicle on fire, forcing them to flee into the street. “I’m just glad we’re alive, but everything, we’ve been married 38 years and everything we put into that house,” the homeowner Lisa Hodges told Reuters. While the cause of the fire is not yet known, officials assume the Tesla’s battery exploded and caught fire after coming into contact with salt water which inundated the Southeast as a result of Hurricane Helene, Reuters reported. Fire hazard Local authorities have now deemed these batteries, which have come into contact with salt water, a “fire hazard” and have warned the public to be careful and move them away from their homes. “If your electric vehicle came in contact with flood water, don’t charge or start it,” Dunedin Fire Rescue said on X, formerly Twitter. Ahead of Helene’s arrival late Thursday evening, Florida Gov. During Hurricane Idalia in 2023, which also made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, two electric vehicles had caught fire due to floodwaters near Tampa. Earlier, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in 2022, there were 21 fires related to EVs, the Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK reported. If your vehicle stalls in rising waters, do not attempt to restart it, as this could cause further damage to the engine and components. Instead, AAA urges you to leave the vehicle immediately and move to higher ground or a safe location. Tow or move the vehicle at least 50 feet from structures, cars, personal property and any other combustible materials. Contributing: Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Kinsey Crowley, Elizabeth Weise, Samantha Neely, Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/01/tesla-ev-fire-flooding/75468212007/