A Tesla burst into flames inside a Florida garage flooded with saltwater by Hurricane Helene, according to jaw-dropping video released by officials as a warning to others.
The fire started underneath the electric ride and fully engulfed it in less than a minute, according to surveillance footage of the cluttered garage, which was quickly filled by thick smoke.
Pinellas County officials blasted out the video on Saturday to warn electric car owners to take action after the hurricane walloped parts of the Sunshine State, North Carolina and a handful of other Southeastern states.
At least 91 people are dead from the storm, with the grim number only expected to rise.
The fire quickly ruined the Tesla. Pinellas County/FacebookThe hurricane, which delivered deadly winds and rainfall, devastated the region as officials struggle to get water and other supplies to the area surrounded by precarious floodwaters.
President Biden called the power of the storm “stunning” and vowed to give the affected states “everything we have” during the recovery effort.
Pinellas officials urged electric car owners — and electric bike owners — on Saturday to take precautions in the face of saltwater storm surge, including not parking their car or bike inside their home or garage and moving EVs 50 feet away from any other combustible material.
Helene's path of destruction
- Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend coastline Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, pounding the state with 155-mph gusts and killing at least 13.
- Helene moved northeast into Georgia, where it was downgraded to a tropical storm by Friday morning, but winds and floods left 25 dead in the state.
- By Friday afternoon, Helene had moved over parts of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, where at least 29 died.
- Relentless rain drenched Appalachia Friday night, sending floodwaters and mudslides crashing through mountain towns.
- In North Carolina, at least 35 people died in the Asheville area, and a tornado injured 15 in Rocky Mount.
- Over the weekend, rescuers struggled to clear roads and recover bodies. The death toll is 192 and counting.
The county also suggested having the car towed to a dealership to get it inspected before driving it again following the storm.
Hurricane Helene descended on Florida on Thursday night as a Category 4 storm with 140-mph winds before it ripped across Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, leading to hundreds of water rescues.
More than 2 million customers were still without power Sunday night.
With Post wires
