SAN DIEGO — A Carmel Valley family’s home burned and they suspect their electric vehicle, a Tesla, parked in the garage was the cause of the fire.
The Flodin family says their smoke alarms woke them up around four in the morning on Aug. 18. One of their daughters was sleeping in the bedroom above the garage where the fire is believed to have started.
The family and their pet dog and rabbit were able to escape without injury but most everything in their home was a total loss.
“When I opened the door, it was just fire and smoke,” said Forest Flodin.
Behind the garage door is a red fire investigator tape wrapped around the shell of a Tesla which fire inspectors also found smoldering near the garage door motor.
“He [inspector] looked at the wiring, looked at the car, and so far, pending further investigation, he thinks it’s the car that started the fire,” said Flodin.
This is still an active investigation and San Diego Fire and Rescue says the cause is still undetermined.
Flodin says the Telsa app showed the EV was inactive two hours before the fire and there were no alerts.
“It had charged earlier, like midnight to maybe 2AM and then it wasn’t charging when this happened,” said Flodin.
A SDFD spokesperson says the agency doesn’t investigate if lithium-ion batteries cause fires, but in 2023 they started tracking fires involving those batteries.
“It’s kind of scary. I know I’ve been asked, 'would you get an EV again?' And I was like, maybe, but I wouldn’t park it in my house,” said Flodin.
SDFD says of the 6,006 fires they responded to last year, 156 involved lithium-ion batteries.
That means they make up about 2.6% of the fires in San Diego, that’s a small number but has a devastating impact.
Flodin showed us the damage inside his home and his kids' rooms.
“That is one of my daughter’s softball trophy’s. She lost a bunch of softball trophies and soccer trophies and medals so she is really bummed out about that,” said Flodin.
Flodin says his three kids lost all of their sports equipment and nearly everything in their home they were renting is contaminated from the smoke. Now they’re living in a hotel.
While the Flodin’s have renters insurance they’ve launched a fundraiser to help replace essentials and help with temporary housing.
“'Can we bring you a meal? Can we give you something?’ So it’s really been very, very heartwarming, all the outreach and the support,” said Flodin.
That comfort can go a long way in helping the Flodins overcome the trauma of losing a house that they made a home.
“To be able to pull the kids out real quick and just get them out and the dog. And you know that that means everything,” said Flodin.
The Flodins said the funds raised will go toward:
- Temporary housing and living expenses
- Relocation and cleanup costs
- Replacing essential belongings and personal items
- Kid’s sporting equipment
- Covering any additional unforeseen expenses
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