Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed over a dozen Tesla vehicles at a dealership near Rome Monday morning.
Italian police are looking into “all avenues” and haven’t ruled out arson.
Incendio in una concessionaria Tesla a Roma, danneggiate dalle fiamme 17 auto. Si indaga sulle cause. Possibile solo.
Se fosse partito per autocombustione avrebbero bruciato solo un gruppo di macchine e invece è bruciato pure l’altro distante una decina di metri…
Ci diranno… pic.twitter.com/nSXiJ8zMtu
— 𝔻𝕆ℝ𝕀𝔸ℕ 𝔾ℝ𝔸𝕐 ™🇮🇹 𝕏 🧱🗿 ✠ (@FantomasRitorna) March 31, 2025
Translated:
Fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome, 17 cars damaged by flames. Investigation into the causes. Possible only.
If it had started by spontaneous combustion, only one group of cars would have burned, but instead the other one, about ten meters away, burned too…
They will tell us that it is a new type of self-combustion model rebound.
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A blaze at a Tesla dealership in Rome left 17 cars damaged, according to local fire services. https://t.co/4VhLKKHoRZ
— Bloomberg (@business) March 31, 2025
Per CNN:
The fire comes after a string of reports across Italy in recent weeks of Tesla vehicles being vandalized and defaced, with anti-Elon Musk and anti-Donald Trump sentiments written with spray paint.
Another car dealership burned down in northern Rome a week ago, destroying 30 cars, including used Teslas. That fire was initially blamed on an electrical fault, but an investigation is underway.
Also in Rome, several Teslas in the Garbatella neighborhood, where Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni grew up, were defaced, according to police and social media posts. Meloni and Musk are self-described close friends, but the Italian leader has not commented on the vandalism. Tesla dealerships in Milan have also been targeted by environmental groups in recent weeks.
Reports of Tesla vandalism have also surfaced in France and various parts of the United States, including the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast.
Tesla is a cherished member of our family. Attacks like we’ve seen today in Rome and recently in the U.S. are unacceptable. @X stands with @Tesla and against terrorism, violence and vandalism. Everyone should too!
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) March 31, 2025
🚨BREAKING: Fire at Tesla dealership near Rome destroys 17 cars
Rome’s fire service said it was investigating “all avenues” while looking into how the fire started. pic.twitter.com/lwwHUWfDM7
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) March 31, 2025
From Electrek:
According to local news, the cause of the fire is still being investigated, and arson hasn’t been ruled out.
As of late, arson has been at the top of everyone’s mind in the case of a fire at a Tesla location due to several extremist groups targeting the company.
There have been several acts of vandalism against Tesla stores around the world, including burning vehicles.
We previously reported on Tesla vehicles being set on fire at Tesla locations in Las Vegas and France.
Last weekend, the ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement held its biggest demonstration with protests at over 200 locations. Most of those are legal, peaceful protests, but amid the broader movement to pressure Elon Musk through Tesla, some more radical groups have used vandalism.
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