A Tesla car explodes into flames inside a Florida garage flooded with salt water from Hurricane Helen, according to an astonishing video released by officials as a warning to others.
Surveillance footage from the cluttered garage showed that the fire started under the electric car and was fully engulfed in less than a minute, with thick smoke quickly filling the room.
Pinellas County Government Employee blew up the video Electric vehicle owners were warned Saturday to take action after hurricanes hit parts of the Sunshine State, North Carolina and some other states in the Southeast.
At least 91 people have died as a result of the storm, and that horrifying number is expected to rise.
The hurricane, which brought deadly winds and rain, devastated the region as authorities struggled to provide water and other supplies to areas surrounded by dangerous flooding.
President Biden called the force of the storm “astonishing” and vowed to give affected states “everything we can” during recovery efforts.
Pinellas officials on Saturday warned electric vehicle owners and e-bike owners about the effects of saltwater storm surge, including not parking their cars or bikes inside their homes or garages and keeping EVs 50 feet away from other flammable materials. He called on people to take preventive measures in preparation for the outbreak.
The county also suggested having your vehicle towed to a dealer for inspection before driving it again after the storm.
Hurricane Helen made landfall on the Florida coast Thursday night as a Category 4 storm with winds of 160 miles per hour, before hitting Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, leading to hundreds of rescues.
More than 2 million customers remained without power Sunday night.
with post wire
