Fire at Tesla dealership near Rome destroys 17 cars

By Barbie Latza Nadeau and Antonia Mortensen, Olivia Kemp | CNN

Rome — At least 17 Tesla cars were destroyed after a fire broke out at a dealership on the outskirts of Rome on Monday morning, according to Italian fire officials. No one was at the dealership when the fire broke out and no injuries have been reported.

Rome’s fire service said it was investigating “all avenues” while looking into how the fire started, but it did not rule out arson. Local police said officers interviewed the dealership owners and are looking at surveillance footage.

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.

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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.

Peaceful protests have taken place at multiple Tesla locations in the US, where demonstrators chanted “Elon Musk has got to go” in response to the slashing of federal jobs by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.