Four Tesla Cybertrucks were destroyed in a fire late Sunday night at a temporary storage lot in Seattle, raising concerns about potential arson and escalating tensions surrounding Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk.
According to local police, the fire broke out around 11 p.m. at a secured lot near 2nd Avenue and Spokane Street, where new Tesla vehicles are temporarily stored before being transported to stores for delivery. Firefighters from the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) responded, containing the blaze to the four Cybertrucks. However, SFD’s Energy Response Team was also called to the scene to manage potential secondary ignition hazards from the batteries in the vehicles.
BREAKING: Late Sunday evening, fire crews battled flames shooting out of several Tesla Cybertrucks in Seattle's SODO neighborhood. At this point, the cause remains under investigation. But with all the anti-Elon hate, there is concern this could be arson. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/O4W228MlZu
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) March 10, 2025
As reporters arrived to cover the aftermath, tensions escalated further when a reporter, Luke Duecy, was confronted by an unidentified man wielding a knife. Duecy described the encounter as a “scary moment,” explaining that the man insisted he leave the area before brandishing the weapon. It remains unclear if the individual had any connection to the storage lot or the fire itself. Seattle police are also reviewing the incident.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, although based on recent events across the U.S. the chances of the fire being intentional are high.
The incident is the latest in a string of attacks on Tesla vehicles and facilities in the U.S. Tesla stores have been vandalized, Superchargers have been set on fire, and even some stores have been targeted with gunfire multiple times in recent weeks.
The violence toward Tesla comes amid heightened protests against Musk’s role in the federal government as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration. Just last week, a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon, was hit by gunfire, damaging multiple vehicles. Meanwhile, demonstrations have taken place at several locations over the past few weeks.
