17 Tesla Cars Destroyed in Fire at Dealership Near Rome

A fire broke out at a Tesla dealership on the outskirts of Rome on Monday morning, destroying at least 17 vehicles, according to Italian fire officials. Fortunately, no one was present at the dealership when the fire started, and no injuries have been reported.

Rome’s fire service has stated that it is investigating all possible causes of the fire, including the possibility of arson. Local police have interviewed the dealership owners and are reviewing surveillance footage to gather more information.

This incident follows a series of reports in Italy of Tesla vehicles being vandalized, with anti-Elon Musk and anti-Donald Trump messages spray-painted on them.

A week earlier, another car dealership in northern Rome was destroyed by fire, damaging 30 cars, including used Teslas. The fire was initially attributed to an electrical fault, but investigations are still ongoing.

In the Garbatella neighborhood of Rome, where Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni grew up, several Teslas were defaced, according to social media posts and police reports. Although Meloni and Musk are close friends, the Prime Minister 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 emerged in France and several regions of the United States, including the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast.

In the U.S., peaceful protests have taken place at multiple Tesla locations, where demonstrators chanted “Elon Musk has got to go” in response to Musk’s cuts to federal jobs through his Department of Government Efficiency.