Two Tesla Cybertrucks were fully engulfed in flames on the rooftop level of a seven-story residential parking garage at the Anara Santa Monica luxury apartment complex on March 6, with firefighters carrying equipment up all seven levels to extinguish the blaze, according to Electrek. Neither vehicle was plugged in to charge when the fire started, the Santa Monica Fire Department has not released findings, and several nearby Tesla vehicles sustained heat and flame damage.
Operator takeaway
An EV fire where the vehicles were not charging means the ignition risk extends beyond the charging window — if you store EVs in a multi-level structure or near other vehicles, your staging protocol needs to account for spontaneous thermal events.