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Three people were killed and another seriously injured when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, police said.
The vehicle was still burning when first responders arrived in Piedmont, east of Oakland, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said.
Crews tried to tackle the flames, “but the fire was too intense for fire extinguishers to be effective,” he said.
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The Piedmont Fire Department then arrived and extinguished the fire.
“Tragically this collision resulted in the loss of three lives.” One person was seriously injured and taken to an area hospital,” Bowers said.
Police received an iPhone notification of the crash at 3:08 a.m., and someone called 911 two minutes later, when officers were already on the scene, he said.
“Our women and men who responded to this call did their best. And it’s devastating. But the devastation pales in comparison to what these families are dealing with this morning, the day before Thanksgiving,” he said.
None of the victims or survivors have been identified out of respect for the families, police said. NBC Bay Area reports that all four people in the car were home from college for the holidays.
Flowers have been left at the site.
A nearby driver who saw the car on fire was able to get to the vehicle and save the injured man, Bowers said.
Eileen DeSoto, a family friend of the man who was treated at the hospital, told NBC Bay Area that he underwent surgery and is recovering.
The cause of the crash is under investigation in cooperation with the California Highway Patrol.
Bowers said it’s possible the victims were attending a local event. He said “speed was a factor” and that the location was not a high-risk area for traffic collisions.
Fire Chief Dave Brannigan said at the press conference that it was unlikely the Cybertruck’s lithium battery caught fire because firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.
Sandy Martin, who taught some of the victims at the middle school, told NBC Bay Area, “This should not happen to any child. But when you know them, it gets even worse.”
The city of Piedmont plans to continue with its traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, a 5K run or walk, NBC Bay Area reported, adding that it will be preceded by remarks about the crash from Mayor Jen Cavendish and a moment of silence.
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