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 where thick smoke quickly filled the room.
Pinellas County government officials blasted out the video on Saturday to warn electric car owners to take action after the bruising 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 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 storm surge from saltwater, including not parking their car or bike inside their home or garage and moving EVs 50 feet away from any other combustible material.
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 the Florida shore 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
