According to a fire chief on the scene in Clermont County, the driver of a Tesla electric car died after the vehicle caught on fire following a crash.
Dispatchers said that the accident occurred around 4 a.m. on Monday morning at Gaskins Road and Red Fox Avenue.
Dispatchers reported that the Tesla had hit a pole and the driver was later found dead at the scene.
Due to the crash, the nearby Merwin Elementary School in Withamsville was forced to close on Monday because its power was out.
Neither the name nor the identity of the driver has been released.
It is unknown what model Tesla was involved in the crash as of when this report was filed.
As reported in Business Insider in August, firefighters face challenges battling fires caused by electric vehicles.
Business Insider said firefighters in Austin, Texas needed “40 times more water to contain a Tesla” that was on fire than “a mainstream gas-powered car that was on fire.”
The firefighters quoted in the report saying that lithium batteries in Model X cars “can lead to fires breaking out hours after a crash.”
A Tesla Model S safety guide notes that there could be a need for 3,000 to 8,000 gallons of water to extinguish a battery fire.
Tesla further states on its website that “there has been one Tesla vehicle fire for every 205 million miles traveled” from 2012-2020.
This stat depict the likelihood of firefighters facing fire accidents from — Tesla or — electric cars as the purchase of electric cars continue to skyrocket.