Tesla catches fire as Hurricane Helen floods Siesta Key garage

A house in Florida caught fire after a Tesla garage caught fire due to exposure to salt water, Reuters reported.

KOLOTV reports that nine people were inside a Siesta Key home when a Tesla car, the Model X Plaid, caught fire Sunday night. Siesta Key, a barrier island, is located about 68 miles south of Tampa.

The homeowners told Reuters they were asleep when their two grandsons heard strange popping noises and woke the adults to determine where the sound was coming from. The family runs downstairs and is shocked to find their car on fire, forcing them to flee down the street. The fire engulfed the car and garage within a minute, Reuters reported.

“I'm glad we're alive, but everything, we've been married for 38 years and everything we put in that house,” homeowner Lisa Hodges told Reuters. “We made it for our family, and it's all over.'

Although the cause of the fire is not yet known, officials believe Tesla's battery exploded and caught fire after coming into contact with brackish water that flooded the southeast as a result of Hurricane Helen, Reuters reported.

Fire hazard

Local authorities have now deemed these batteries, exposed to salt water, a “fire hazard” and have warned the public to take precautions and move them away from their homes.

“If your electric vehicle is exposed to flood water, do not charge or operate it,” Dunedin Fire Rescue X said earlier on Twitter. “Be safe and let the professionals inspect it first.”

Ahead of Helen's arrival Thursday evening, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned electric vehicle owners to get to higher ground and avoid fire hazards.

“If you have an EV, you have to take it to higher ground,” DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday. “Be careful about flooding. It could cause a fire.”

During Hurricane Idalia in 2023, which made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, two electric vehicles caught fire due to floodwaters near Tampa. Earlier, after Hurricane Ian in 2022, there were 21 fires related to EVs, reported the Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Hurricane Helen:Why does the flooded electric car catch fire?

What to do if your car sinks?

If your vehicle stalls in rising water, do not attempt to restart it, as this may cause further damage to the engine and components.

Instead, AAA urges you to leave the vehicle immediately and move to higher ground or a safer location.

Tesla recommends following these three steps if your car crashes:

1. Please contact your insurance company.
2. Do not attempt to drive the vehicle until it has been inspected by an authorized shop.
3. Tow or move the vehicle at least 50 feet away from structures, vehicles, personal property, and any other flammable materials.

Contributing: Leanna Norman, USA TODAY Network – Florida / Kinsey Crowley, Elizabeth Weiss, Samantha Neely, Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact him at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow him on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.