- The driver is believed to have been trying to steal electricity from the grid using an illegal connection.
- Soon after the Tesla caught fire, the blaze spread to a neighboring house.
- This was the first fire involving a Tesla Tijuana fire crews had to respond to.
Plugging in a Tesla to charge should be a simple and safe process. However, for the owner of a Model S in Mexico, plugging in the EV triggered a fire that didn’t just damage the car but also caused a nearby house to go up in flames.
Rather than connecting the Tesla to a normal public charging or a household charger, the driver of the Model S reportedly hooked it up directly to the power line in Tijuana. In Mexico, some residents steal electricity using unauthorized connections to the power lines. These connections, known as diablito, or little devil, apparently cost Mexico’s national power company more than $2 billion annually in lost power.
Read: Tesla Recalls 1.85 Million EVs Because They Might Not Warn Drivers That The Hood Is Unlatched
Mexico News Daily reports these connections are frequently used at construction sites and can trigger fires and electrocution. The driver of the Model S was clearly eager to save money charging their car and hooked it up to one of these connections but before long, the Tesla caught fire.
The Tijuana Fire Department responded to the blaze. According to Arturo Sánchez from the department, this was their first time dealing with a Tesla fire, although he noted that local fire crews have been trained in how to deal with EV fires.
The fire was quickly contained, but not before it spread to a neighboring house. Fortunately, no one was inside the house at the time, nor was anyone sitting in the Tesla. The extent of damage done to the Tesla isn’t known. Even if it’s only minor, it may not be worth repairing.
News of this fire comes just a couple of weeks after Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the company would delay a planned investment into northern Mexico because Donald Trump may enact new tariffs if he is re-elected. The automaker had planned to invest $10 billion to establish an EV factory in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon.
