One person is dead and at least seven others were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck burst into flames outside of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas earlier this morning.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal confirmed that police and fire officials are investigating a blaze that was first reported around 8:40 a.m. outside the hotel, which is located just off the Las Vegas Strip. Video taken from inside the hotel lobby shows a Cybertruck burning just outside the building's doors. Las Vegas' 8 News Now reports that the fire "started in or near the hotel valet area and was put out by firefighters."
The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time. On its X account, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that the fire has been extinguished and an investigation is underway. Residents and visitors are being advised to avoid the area.
The incident killed one person and injured several others, as per local officials. Police officials said that the deceased person was being recovered from inside the Cybertruck.
New CCTV video footage shared on X shows the Cybertruck parked outside the hotel entrance behind a white pickup truck. There appeared to be several bystanders nearby with their luggage. The Cybertruck then dangerously exploded out of nowhere, filling the area with flying debris and smoke. There were several secondary explosions after the initial burst, possibly from firecrackers that the truck was carrying.
The blaze caught widespread attention on social media due to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's close involvement with President-elect Donald Trump; indeed, Musk and Trump celebrated New Year's Eve together at the incoming president's Mar-a-Lago hotel and resort in Florida. But whether the fire involving the Cybertruck was some kind of intentional act or a coincidental accident has not been determined by any fire or law enforcement officials as of this writing.
Electric vehicle fires are statistically rarer than fires involving gasoline-powered cars, but their lithium-ion batteries make extinguishing those blazes much more difficult.
Update 4:30 p.m. EST: Musk now claims on X that the Cybertuck explosion was caused by fireworks or some kind of explosive device, not the vehicle itself.
Update 6:30 p.m. EST: The deceased person was the driver of the truck, according to law enforcement officials. However, the Tesla was rented on the popular app Turo and then loaded down with "fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel," according to CNN.
Update Jan 2, 11:00 a.m. EST: Multiple U.S. officials told CNN that the deceased person pulled out of the Cybertruck was an active-duty Special Forces operations agent currently on leave from Germany. Law enforcement officials told local outlets that he had been identified as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger from Colorado Springs.
On X, Musk said he believed the stainless steel frame of the Cybertruck "actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards," and claimed the EV's design may have prevented additional damage. He has also called the incident "a terrorist attack," although law enforcement officials have not disclosed the motive of the perpetrator or perpetrators.
This is a breaking news post. It will be updated as more details emerge.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
Additional material from Suvrat Kothari
