Investigators: Fire at Massachusetts Tesla charging station likely arson
March 4 (UPI) -- A fire set at a Tesla electric vehicle charging station in eastern Massachusetts was believed to have been set intentionally, according to investigators.
On Monday, police and fire units responded to an incident at a Tesla Supercharger station at the Point Shopping Center on Constitution Avenue in Littleton a little after 1 a.m. local time, during which officers found the site "engulfed in flames and heavy, dark smoke," according to a police statement.
"At this point it does appear that it was a set fire," Littleton Fire Chief Steele McCurdy told CBS on Tuesday.
No injuries were reported.
A neighbor reported the fire in which, upon arrival, officials found seven charging stations that sustained heavy fire damage.
Meanwhile, firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze while the the local Littleton Electric Light and Water Department had cut power to the chargers in Middlesex County.
"The electricity is one of our bigger issues that we're dealing with in making sure that not only the public, but the firefighters are safe," McCurdy added. "So, we kept our distance from the charged electrical equipment."
Based on evidence found and collected at the scene, the "fire appears to have been intentionally set," police stated.
An investigation is ongoing with rewards of up to $5,000, according to authorities, who ask ask for the public's help in finding the suspect.
Meanwhile, authorities in Colorado recently arrested a 40-year-old woman accused of repeatedly vandalizing a Tesla dealership in Loveland.
It was one of several other similar incidents over the last few weeks evidently aimed in protest at Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest man and unelected Trump White House official running the controversial Department of Government Efficiency. Tasked with cutting wasteful spending from the federal government, Musk has sought to cancel billions of dollars in programs and fire thousands of federal workers, which has attracted public criticism and a growing number of lawsuits.
In January, seven were injured and a person was killed inside a Tesla Cybertruck when it exploded and burned in front of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Any person with information on the Massachusetts fire have been encouraged to call the Arson Watch Reward Program Hotline at 1-800-682-9229. Callers, however, are able to remain anonymous.
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