One dead after Tesla truck catches fire outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel | Police News

Authorities say they are investigating the incident, in which seven people suffered minor injuries.

One person died and seven were injured after a Tesla Cybertruck caught fire and exploded outside the Las Vegas hotel owned by the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.

The fire started Wednesday around 8:40 am local time (14:40 GMT) in the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County officials.

“We were told that the Cybertruck of 2024 appeared in front of the hotel. In fact, I can tell you, it pulled right up to the glass front doors of the hotel,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference. “We saw smoke coming from the car, then there was a big explosion from the truck.”

Details are still emerging, and the cause of the explosion has not been confirmed by officials.

“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), told reporters. “We don't have many answers.”

Authorities say the truck appeared to be carrying explosives, and a person was found dead inside the vehicle. Several people at the blast site were treated for minor injuries.

One of the witnesses, Ana Bruce, told the Associated Press that she heard three explosions caused by the fire.

“The first one [happened] where we can still see the fire,” said Bruce. “The second one, I think, was a battery or something like that, and the third one was a big one that was smoking everywhere and that was when everybody was told to get out and not walk.”

The incident occurred hours after a car attack in the Louisiana city of New Orleans killed at least 10 people, in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of terrorism.

The suspect in this case is believed to have been carrying explosive devices, or IEDs, in his truck when the car exploded.

Sheriff McMahill acknowledged that his officers were “very aware of what happened in New Orleans” and that the incident could inform their investigation. But he stopped linking the two.

“As you can imagine, with the explosion here on the iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking every step we need to take to keep our community safe. We are looking for second services,” said McMahill at a press conference, adding that there does not appear to be a threat to the public.

The Cybertruck explosion comes as Trump prepares to take a second term on January 20.

Part of his incoming administration includes close advisers, such as tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump tapped to lead an unincorporated, non-government agency called the Department of Government Operations.

Trump has set up a new agency as an advisory panel to help guide the federal government.

On social media, Musk said Tesla, the electric car company he founded, was looking into Wednesday's incident.

“The entire Tesla team is currently investigating this matter,” Musk wrote, adding: “We've never seen anything like this.”