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The storm surge from Hurricane Helene caused lots of damage to Siesta Key. A $6 million home burned down after saltwater got into the garage and set a Tesla Model X Plaid on fire.
This fire was caught on the family’s Nest camera. It could have been avoided. Locals were told to evacuate and warned that Teslas might catch fire from saltwater.
Even though the car wasn’t plugged in, the 6 to 8 inches of saltwater was enough to start a huge fire on Peacock Road near South Bridge (Stickney Pt.).
The house, valued at nearly $6 million, was sold for $4.45 million in 2021. That’s an increase of $1.512 million in under three years. Unreal.
A local captured this video from across the bay:
Siesta Key, my BF filmed this from her house on the bay. Island was evacuated and county wanted all EV‘s off island but these owners were out of town and the Tesla was in the garage. #Hurricane #hurricanehelene pic.twitter.com/xabOxhluSf
— Meidas_Alex&SophieCorgi (@Meidas_AlexS) September 27, 2024
At the time of the fire, there were 9 people in the house. Everyone got out safely. But first responders couldn’t put out the flames because water had been shut off due to flooding.
Everyone on that street is lucky the fire didn’t spread further.
A 2023 Tesla Model X Plaid starts at $94,990. This car was lost along with everything else in the home.
This Tesla fire is just one story among many from Hurricane Helene’s impact on Siesta Key.
Usually, hurricanes bring wind, flooding, and tornadoes here. But for a storm surge to affect all these islands is unprecedented.
The only good thing is that Hurricane Helene reopened Midnight Pass on South Siesta Key after over 40 years.
