Juvenile driver charged after Austin crash leaves Tesla engulfed in flames

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- A juvenile driver has been charged after video from overnight shows a Tesla engulfed in flames.

According to Austin police, a juvenile male driver of a Tesla Model X crashed into a traffic light pole in west Austin just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

Video shows the electric car completely engulfed in flames after the crash. You can see the footage in the video player above.

Fire crews said, because it's a Tesla, they had to use about 40 times the amount of water they would normally use on a non-electric car fire.

"I mean the car obviously runs completely off battery power. There's a battery pack underneath the frame. So that's another part that makes it hard to get to," the Austin fire chief said. "Plus, once it's burning, they are extremely hard to put out. They'll reignite... as soon as you stop flowing water and it looks like it's out, it'll just reignite."

Police say the juvenile who was driving the Tesla managed to escape, but was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The driver was the only person in the Tesla at the time of the crash, according to police.

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