A three-month-old Tesla Model S caught fire on Tuesday in Los Gatos, California, after getting a flat tire, multiple outlets have reported.
A Tesla Model S caught fire on Tuesday in Los Gatos, California, after getting a flat tire, multiple outlets have reported.
The
vehicle's owner was driving on the highway when the vehicle alerted
him that one of its tires had experienced a rapid drop in tire
pressure, ABC7 News
reports. Minutes after being towed to an auto repair shop, the front
end of the Model S reportedly caught fire. The vehicle reportedly
reignited in the evening.
"We are currently investigating the matter and are in touch with
local first responders. We are glad to hear that everyone is safe," a
Tesla representative told Business Insider.
The representative
said Tesla vehicles catch fire less often than the average vehicle.
When a Tesla vehicle does catch fire, the fire spreads more slowly than
in a gas-powered car, giving occupants more time to exit the vehicle,
the representative added.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The
vehicle's owner had reportedly bought the Model S three months before
the incident and driven it for 1,200 miles. He told ABC7 News that he
and his family will not own another Tesla vehicle.
"If this had
been in the house, and we were on vacation, and this thing caught fire
in the garage, the whole house could go under," he said.
#NEW Brad Basford shared this video with @abc7newsbayarea. This was the scene along University Ave in Los Gatos, showing the @Tesla on fire. This happened earlier this afternoon. #abc7now #developing pic.twitter.com/T11j142rRA— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaABC7) December 19, 2018
In June, a Model S suddenly caught fire
in Los Angeles. The fire drew attention after the actress Mary
McCormack - whose husband, British director Michael Morris, was driving
the vehicle - shared a video of it on Twitter. In the video, fire can be seen beneath the vehicle's front left tire.
In a preliminary report
on its investigation into the incident, the National Transportation
Safety Board said the incident didn't cause any injuries, but did not
offer any reasons why the vehicle may have caught fire.
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