A fire on the roof of a parking structure in California mysteriously destroyed two Tesla Cybertrucks. Santa Monica Fire Department crews responded around 3:16 p.m. on Wednesday.
Reports indicated heavy smoke emanating from the roof of a seven-story parking garage that connected to a sizable multifamily apartment complex.
According to the Santa Monica Fire Department, when firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the two Tesla Cybertrucks parked next to each other, completely engulfed in flames on the rooftop. Firefighters then had to carry equipment and hose lines up the parking structure’s seven levels. The fire also damaged several nearby vehicles.
Investigators are probing the cause of the fire, which firefighters swiftly put out before it spread. Neither truck was plugged in for charging.
KTLA News reports the authorities did not identify the owners of the vehicles, and it is unknown why the vehicle’s owners parked the two Cybertrucks side by side on the roof.
It is notable, as Electrek pointed out in its report, that Tesla operates a service center and collision center on the same street where the fire occurred.
Tesla representatives arrived on scene later to monitor the totaled electric vehicles. This was due to the possibility of thermal runaway – a condition where lithium-ion batteries can rekindle following a fire.
Bad week to be the owner of a Tesla vehicle
In an unrelated story, a 40-foot-tall tree fell onto Highway 101 in Sunnyvale, California and hit a pair of Teslas early Thursday afternoon. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee, one of the drivers was able to pull onto the shoulder, but the other car was not drivable.
The massive tree blocked three lanes of the freeway. It took around two hours to reopen the highway while crews cleaned up the mess.
