NTSB to observe Tesla's investigation of Model S fire

The incident did not involve any deaths or injuries, so the agency is not pursuing a formal investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board has apparently taken an interest in the recent Tesla Model S battery fire.

The electric sedan was allegedly driving down Santa Monica Blvd when its battery ignited "out of the blue" without any accident or other damage.

The accident did not cause any deaths or injuries. The NTSB has consequently taken a soft approach, observing Tesla's own internal investigation rather than launching a formal federal inquiry.

Participating in Tesla's review "will provide the agency with an opportunity to learn more about fires in all types of battery-powered vehicles," NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson told Bloomberg.

Tesla has argued that its cars are 10 times less likely to catch fire than a gasoline-fueled vehicle. The company has nonetheless promised to find out what happened in the California incident, described as an "extraordinarily unusual occurrence."

@Tesla This is what happened to my husband and his car today. No accident,out of the blue, in traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. Thank you to the kind couple who flagged him down and told him to pull over. And thank god my three little girls weren't in the car with him pic.twitter.com/O4tPs5ftVo

— Mary McCormack (@marycmccormack) June 16, 2018