Featured Image Credit: Steven Masso/ValleyCentral / Anadolu/Contributor
When we think about Tesla and futuristic technology, we usually think they are indestructible.
However, it seems that even the most innovative product can be stunned by a fire hydrant.
When fire crews attended the scene of a vehicle crash in Harlingen, Texas, they probably didn’t realize that they were about to see.
A whole lot of dollars’ worth of damage, that’s for sure.
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That’s because the Cybertruck, one of Tesla’s ultra-hard stainless-steel masterpieces was found up in flames after it struck a hydrant between Sam’s Club and Bass Pro Shop off of Spur 54 and Bass Pro Drive.
The incident happened at 4:45 p.m. 27 August with Assistant Fire Chief Ruben Balboa at the Harlingen Fire Department explaining to Valley Central that the Cybertruck’s battery ignited after it got wet.
As the water from the fire hydrant soaked the electric vehicle, it ignited and caused a whole lot of odor, according to witnesses.
Apparently, while many people couldn’t see the gasses or fire, they could smell the battery, and it was an incredibly penetrative smell in the area.
Witnesses say that while the flames and gasses are not visible, the smell of the battery is strongly penetrating the air in the area.
The first responders on scene are reported to have explained that they believed that they had controlled the flames and extinguished them, however, when they stopped spraying it ignited again.
While nobody is said to have been hurt in the blaze, it has sparked online comments about the safety of the vehicles.
One person wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This isn’t the first time. They are blowing up everywhere.”
Another mocked the incident: “Now THAT is f*cking beautiful. Getting lit on fire by a Fire Hydrant is some next-level dumbf*ckery.”
Someone else wrote: “Electric vehicles' weakness is that water makes battery fires worse.”
Finally, another shared a warning to people who drive in the rain due to its alleged water weakness.
However, while this incident has shown that water appears to be a slippery rope when putting out a battery fire, Tesla ironically already released information about what to do if your Cybertruck catches fire, and it’s not suggesting an alternative.
The tech giant claimed that only water should be used.
Tesla updated: “The use of fire-fighting foam is not recommended, and only water should be used to cool the battery case.”
In another instance of a Cybertruck fire, the first fatality was recorded for the company’s mega-expensive automobile.
The event happened in the Bayton Area, Texas when a man lost control of his truck at approximately 1:45 a.m. and crashed into a ditch on Fisher Road.
While the vehicle is said to be able to withstand a baseball bat, according to Tesla, it immediately burst into flames upon impact and left the vehicle mangled.
The scary part was that it also appeared to have partially melted with the seats, dashboard, screens, and everything liquified in the blaze.
UNILAD Tech reached out to Tesla for comment.
