A Tesla Model X SUV reportedly caught fire while being towed to a shop, despite a company employee saying it wouldn't
- A Tesla Model X SUV burned for four hours after being towed to a Pittsburgh repair shop on Wednesday.
- Doug Smeltz, of Smeltz Auto Service, says a Tesla employee disconnected the car's battery and said it would not ignite.
- The car previously caught fire in a garage in February. On Wednesday, it ignited again after being towed to Smeltz Auto Service in Monroeville.
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One Tesla owner in Pittsburgh has had bad luck with Tesla's Model X SUV.
After briefly catching fire in February, the car caught fire once again about three hours after being towed to a repair shop in Monroeville on Wednesday, just outside of the city, according to CBS Pittsburgh, which first reported on the incident. Firefighters battled the blaze for about four hours before it went out, according to the report.
"It's burned beyond recognition," Doug Smeltz of Smeltz Auto Service told Business Insider, adding that the fire burnt a large hole in the shops parking lot.
According to Smeltz, a Tesla employee disconnected the battery's main shut off before it was towed and said the car would not catch fire. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Wednesday's fire is far from the first time a Tesla vehicle has made a headache for firefighters. In December, a Model S caught fire twice after suffering a flat tire in Los Gatos, California. That followed a similar fire in June in Los Angeles, in which British film director Michael Morris' vehicle suddenly ignited.
In its information for first responders on its website, Tesla advises emergency service members to use the cars touch screen in order to activate "tow mode" and disengage the parking brake. The company also warns that it can take thousands of gallons of water to put out a battery fire.
"If the battery catches fire, is exposed to high heat, or is generating heat or gases, use large amounts of water to cool the battery," the emergency response sheet reads. "It can take approximately 3,000 gallons of water (applied directly to the battery); establish sufficient water supply."
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