HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — After Pinellas County posted a video of a Tesla catching on fire during Hurricane Helene, Hernando County Fire Rescue now says it faced multiple fires during the storm caused by lithium-ion batteries.
According to a Facebook post, the department responded to seven structure fires, four of which were caused by lithium-ion batteries.
Firefighters also responded to multiple car fires, officials say, but the exact cause of the car fires is unknown.
"The fire danger is not over now that the waters have subsided," HCFR said. "As power is restored, be sure to consider what parts of your homes electrical system has been affected by the salt water and have it inspected before restoring power. This will reduce your potential of a house fire."
Officials have said that when electricity comes back on after saltwater has intruded into the home's power supply, it can surge and cause a fire. The same thing can happen to ion batteries inside electric vehicles when exposed to saltwater.
