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Tesla Erupts in Flames After Getting Flooded During Hurricane
Story by Matthew Impelli
August 31, 2023
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/other/tesla-erupts-in-flames-after-getting-flooded-during-hurricane/ar-AA1g3zCh#:~:text=A%20Tesla%20car%20was%20destroyed%20by%20a%20fire,while%20on%20the%20back%20of%20a%20tow%20truck.

A Tesla car was destroyed by a fire on Thursday in Florida after it was damaged by floodwaters caused by Hurricane Idalia.

Officials with the Pinellas Park Police Department determined the Tesla was destroyed after it caught fire while on the back of a tow truck. A spokesperson for the department told Newsweek that "the owner of the vehicle had it parked in a location near one of the beaches that was flooded with salt water during the storm."

They said that the owner had parked the vehicle near 66th Street North and Park Boulevard. Rather than attempt to move the vehicle himself, he called a tow truck for help. The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. ET and was "primarily a Fire Department call and investigation," according to the spokesperson.

The incident came shortly after Florida's Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis issued a warning to all owners of electric vehicles (EVs), to move them away from areas that could be damaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Idalia.

"We saw a number of fires associated with EVs from Hurricane Ian. We know that the saltwater from storm surge can compromise these batteries, causing fires which cannot be easily suppressed," Patronis said in a statement earlier this week. "The best fire teams can do is keep water on the battery until the fuel burns out. If you're evacuating and leaving an EV, or other lithium-ion powered devices like scooters or golf carts in your garage, you're creating a real fire threat for your home, your communities, and first responders."

Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday and brought high wind speeds and heavy rainfall to parts of Florida.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said: "Catastrophic impacts from storm surge inundation of 12 to 16 feet above ground level and destructive waves are expected somewhere between the Wakulla/Jefferson County line and Yankeetown, Florida. Life-threatening storm surge inundation is likely elsewhere along portions of the Florida Gulf Coast where a Storm Surge Warning is in effect."

A somewhat similar incident happened in Palm Harbor, Florida on Wednesday when fire officials had to rescue a Tesla damaged by flood waters.

"If you own a hybrid or electric vehicle that has come into contact with saltwater due to recent flooding within the last 24 hours, it is crucial to relocate the vehicle from your garage without delay. Saltwater exposure can trigger combustion in lithium-ion batteries. If possible, transfer your vehicle to higher ground," Palm Harbor Fire Rescue said on Facebook.