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:
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Contact your insurance company.
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Do not attempt to operate the vehicle until it’s inspected by an authorized shop.
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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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video: Tesla catches fire as Hurricane Helene floods Siesta Key garage
