The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is investigating after a vehicle caught fire Wednesday morning at the entryway to the Trump International Hotel.
Video shared by spectators on social media appeared to show a Tesla Cybertruck engulfed in flames just outside the hotel lobby.
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A spokesperson for the Clark County Fire Department told HuffPost the agency received a call at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday about a vehicle fire in the valet area outside the Trump Hotel at 2000 Fashion Show Drive but was unable to elaborate further.
Police said the fire was extinguished less than two hours later and asked people to avoid the area.
An unnamed official told ABC News the vehicle was carrying a load of “fireworks-style” mortar shells that seem to have exploded, killing the driver and causing minor injuries to seven bystanders.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill acknowledged the unique circumstances of the incident at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
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“Obviously: a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel. There’s lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward,” he said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a staunch ally and financial supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, said on social media that the explosion appears unrelated to the vehicle itself. According to Musk, the truck was a rental.
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Authorities are considering the incident a possible criminal act and a possible act of terror until a motive can be determined.
Bystanders who shared video on social media of a large plume of smoke rising in front of the building said they heard an explosion; another described it as “like a dumpster being dropped on the ground and dragged across the ground for 10 seconds.”
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Another video showed people exiting the back of the building.
Video posted on social media earlier Wednesday appeared to show at least two ambulances on scene, along with multiple police cars.
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While some early Tesla models, including the Model S, were prone to spontaneously catch fire if they suffered underbody damage, it’s unlikely the Cybertruck, which has been recalled seven times since it went on sale in November 2023, was released with a similar flaw.
