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Police are investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Police said a cybertruck pulled up in front of the hotel on Wednesday near a glass entrance, then smoke started coming from the vehicle and it exploded.
The driver was killed and seven people were injured, police said without naming any of the individuals involved. Officials said all injuries were minor.
In a post on X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the explosion “was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself”.
The fire occurred around 0840 PT (1540 GMT), just hours after 15 people were killed when a man drove a truck into a crowd in New Orleans, Louisiana, on New Year’s Day.
Police have yet to confirm the incident was caused by a bomb or fireworks, but two sources with knowledge of the investigation told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that investigators were working to determine whether fireworks were responsible for the truck explosion.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Police Department said officials were “well aware of what happened in New Orleans“, referring to the attack that included improvised explosive devices found near the scene in Louisiana.
“As you can imagine, with an explosion here on an iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe,” he said during a news conference.
“Obviously, a cybertruck, the Trump Hotel, there’s lots of questions that we have to answer as we move forward,” he added.
Mr McMahill said there was no longer a threat to the Las Vegas community.
Fire department officials said emergency responders quickly worked to extinguish the vehicle fire.
They added that the public should stay away from the area and that the hotel was evacuated, with most of the guests moving to a different location.
The hotel is owned in part by President-elect Donald Trump’s company. In a post on X, Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said a “reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas”.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism,” he said.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident and his administration has offered any federal assistance needed.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media show a cybertruck in front of the entrance to the Trump hotel before erupting in flames.
Stephen Ferlando told the Washington Post that he witnessed the incident from his hotel room on the 53rd floor of the Trump Tower. He told the outlet there was “definitely an explosion” and that the windows began to shake.
The Trump Hotel spans 64 floors with around 1,300 suites, according to its website.
Trump recently named Musk to co-lead a presidential advisory commission, the Department of Government Efficiency, after the two became close during Trump’s campaign.
