TAMPA, Fla. — Davis Islands in Tampa was inundated by storm surge as Hurricane Helene swept through the region Thursday night into Friday morning.
An estimated five to eight feet of storm surge flooded neighborhoods.
What’s normally an upscale neighborhood with some of the most beautiful homes in the entire Tampa Bay area looked more like a going-out-of-business sale as residents dumped damaged belongings outside in Helene's aftermath. Many will have a tremendous amount of recovery ahead of them.
As storm surge overtook the houses on Davis Islands, one house caught on fire off Blanca Avenue. First responders were unable to reach the home because of the high water, according to reporting from 10 Tampa Bay’s Eric Glasser.
Fortunately, there were no injuries or deaths related to the fire.
In the past during storms like these, a vast majority of fires start because of saltwater intrusion into the home's power supply. When electricity comes back on, it can surge, causing a fire.
“In this case, fire rescue investigators are looking very strongly into the possibility that inside the garage of that house was parked a Tesla,” Glasser reports.
The lithium-ion batteries inside of electric vehicles can spark a fire when mixed with salt water.
Mayor Jane Castor surveyed damage across Tampa on Friday. She flew over the Blanca Avenue home and said that she also believes an electric vehicle may be the cause of the fire.
Another fire sparked not far from Blanca Avenue, off Geneva Place, where an electric vehicle is suspected of being a contributing factor as well.
If you have an electric vehicle and sustained flooding during Hurricane Helene, do not start it. Instead, call for it to be towed and move it away from your property.