Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is investigating another incident in which one of its cars caught fire while sitting in a garage. However, the car may just have been inside a garage that caught fire. And of course the only reason anyone cares about this garage fire is because there happened to be a Tesla inside it.
Tesla confirms garage fire
Business Insider reports that a source said there was another garage fire involving a Model S in Toronto earlier this month. The garage reportedly caught fire after the owner came home after a drive and parked the Model S inside the garage next to a Lexus. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) confirmed that it is investigating the cause of that fire but so far, it doesn’t appear to be any of the components most people are worried about in the Model S.
Tesla sent Business Insider a statement saying that they “have definitively determined that it did not originate in the battery, the charging system, the adapter or the electrical receptacle, as these components were untouched by the fire.”
Tesla’s battery, charging system not to blame
Firefighters were reportedly able to get the blaze under control very quickly, which is another important point because firefighters are usually unprepared for lithium-ion-related fires, as pouring water on them can make the fire worse. So if the fire was easily brought under control, it seems like further confirmation that Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s battery had nothing to do with it.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) sent seven employees to the home to investigate and offered to pay for damages and the inconveniences. But interestingly enough, the owner declined. Sounds like the person doesn’t blame Tesla for the fire at all.
Tesla fire story continues
This is now the second garage fire involving a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) car. The first one happened while the car was plugged in and charging, and Tesla recalled its adapters and replaced them after sending out a software update designed to reduce fire risk due to faulty wiring in homes.
But this time, the Model S wasn’t plugged into the wall. Unfortunately, Tesla will probably be the focus of numerous headlines again this time. CEO Elon Musk blasted the media for focusing on the fires late last year, which are still far fewer than the number of fires involving gasoline-powered cars.
In this particular case, this garage fire wouldn’t even be making headlines if a Tesla wasn’t parked inside. As a former employee of a few local news stations, I can tell you that our ears perk up at a call of about a house fire, but then we would pretty much stop listening after they arrive and say it’s “just” a garage fire. Garage fires are a dime a dozen. One was bound to happen to someone who owned a Tesla sooner or later.
So far shares of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) are down about 1% in premarket trading, which is still a far cry from the large percentages the stock lost after last year’s string of fires. They remain near the new record high set this week, however.