A Tesla Model S Plaid Caught on Fire Outside Philadelphia

On Friday, a Tesla Model S Plaid was engulfed in flames as the owner was driving, and the car briefly kept the driver trapped in the car after the doors wouldn’t open, according to attorneys for the driver (via The Washington Post).

The scene took place outside Philadelphia just a few days following delivery of the Model S Plaid, which debuted at a delivery event at the company’s Fremont, California facility early last month.

While Gladwyne Fire Department authorities originally claimed the fire was involving a Tesla Model S, the news release was taken down already by Thursday.

Chief Fire Officer of the Lower Merion Township Fire Department Charles McGarvey, said Friday that there had been a fire from a Tesla Model S Plaid that took over two hours to put out.

Tesla’s vehicles do have the capacity to burn for extended periods of time due to their battery engine makeups, and McGarvey emphasized the need to keep continuous water streams on the burning batteries.

McGarvey said, “With the Teslas, you’ve got to just put copious amounts of water on it.” McGarvey continued, “After that, you’ve got to sit 45 minutes, an hour, [and] once it stops smoking you can release it to second responders. We had it towed to a location that was secured.”

Another Tesla Model S caught fire earlier this year in Texas, following a fatal crash in Harris County.