Current:Home > reviewsVideo captures Tesla vehicle bursting into flames as Hurricane Helene floods Florida garage -Mastery Money Tools
Video captures Tesla vehicle bursting into flames as Hurricane Helene floods Florida garage
View
Date:2025-04-17 07:57:08
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. Siesta Key, a barrier island, is located about 68 miles south of Tampa.
The homeowners told Reuters they were asleep when two of their grandchildren heard strange popping noises and woke up the elders to determine when the sound was coming from. The family ran downstairs and were shocked to see their vehicle on fire, forcing them to flee into the street. The blaze engulfed the car and garage in under a minute, Reuters reported.
"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. "We built it for our family, and it's all gone.'
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. "Stay safe and let professionals inspect it first."
Ahead of Helene's arrival late Thursday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had warned electric vehicle owners to get to higher ground and avoid the risk of fire.
"If you have an EV, you need to get that to higher land," DeSantis had said at a Wednesday news conference. "Be careful about that getting inundated. It can cause fires."
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.
Hurricane Helene:Why do flooded electric vehicles catch fire?
What do if your vehicle is submerged?
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.
Tesla recommends following these three steps if your vehicle is submerged:
- Contact your insurance company.
- Do not attempt to operate the vehicle until it's inspected by an authorized shop.
- 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. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (69)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- What’s open and closed on Memorial Day
- Conjoined Twins Abby and Brittany Hensel Revisit Wedding Day With a Nod to Taylor Swift
- Bridgit Mendler Officially Graduates Harvard Law School and Her Future's Bright
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- NCAA lawsuit settlement agreement allowing revenue sharing with athletes faces unresolved questions
- French Open 2024: Here’s how to watch on TV, betting odds and more you should know
- Globe-trotting archeologist who drew comparisons to Indiana Jones dies at age 94
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Memorial Day kicks off summer grilling season. Follow these tips to avoid food illnesses
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Senate Democrats seek meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts after Alito flag controversy
- Ranked-choice voting has challenged the status quo. Its popularity will be tested in November
- Sister of Israeli hostage seen in harrowing video says world needs to see it, because people are forgetting
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- What The Hills' Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt Think of Kristin Cavallari and Mark Estes' Romance
- George Floyd's brother says he still has nightmares about his 2020 murder
- Caitlin Clark faces defending WNBA champs: How to watch Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Uvalde families sue gunmaker, Instagram, Activision over weapons marketing
Lenny Kravitz on a lesson he learned from daughter Zoë Kravitz
Cars catch fire in Boston’s Ted Williams Tunnel, snarling Memorial Day weekend traffic
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Every Time Taylor Swift Shook Off Eras Tour Malfunctions and Recovered Like a Pro
Man throws flaming liquid on New York City subway, burns fellow rider
Cracker Barrel stock plummets after CEO says chain isn't as 'relevant,' 'must revitalize'