A Tesla Model S reportedly bursts into flames twice after getting a flat tire

0 0 Editorial Team December 20, 2018 Edit this post

A Tesla Model S caught fire on Tuesday in Los Gatos, California, after getting a flat tire, multiple outlets have reported.

The vehicle's owner was driving on the highway when the vehicle alerted him that one of its tires had experienced a rapid drop in tire pressure, ABC7 News reports. Minutes after being towed to an auto repair shop, the front end of the Model S reportedly caught fire. The vehicle reportedly reignited in the evening.

"We are currently investigating the matter and are in touch with local first responders. We are glad to hear that everyone is safe," a Tesla representative told Business Insider.

The representative said Tesla vehicles catch fire less often than the average vehicle. When a Tesla vehicle does catch fire, the fire spreads more slowly than in a gas-powered car, giving occupants more time to exit the vehicle, the representative added.

The Santa Clara County Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The vehicle's owner had reportedly bought the Model S three months before the incident and driven it for 1,200 miles. He told ABC7 News that he and his family will not own another Tesla vehicle.

"If this had been in the house, and we were on vacation, and this thing caught fire in the garage, the whole house could go under," he said.

#NEW Brad Basford shared this video with @abc7newsbayarea. This was the scene along University Ave in Los Gatos, showing the @Tesla on fire. This happened earlier this afternoon. #abc7now #developing pic.twitter.com/T11j142rRA
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaABC7) December 19, 2018

In June, a Model S suddenly caught fire in Los Angeles. The fire drew attention after the actress Mary McCormack - whose husband, British director Michael Morris, was driving the vehicle - shared a video of it on Twitter. In the video, fire can be seen beneath the vehicle's front left tire.

In a preliminary report on its investigation into the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said the incident didn't cause any injuries, but did not offer any reasons why the vehicle may have caught fire.