2 dead after driverless Tesla crashed into tree and burst into flames

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (KTRK) – Two people died in a firefight Saturday night with a Tesla Model S, and the flames took hours to extinguish, authorities said.

It happened shortly after nine o’clock at night in Hammock Dunes Place, in the Carlton Woods subdivision.

Firefighters and doctors were called to the scene after reports of an explosion in the woods after Tesla veered off the road, authorities said.

The Tesla was traveling from a dead end street to Hammock Dunes Place and did not negotiate any curves. The vehicle crashed into a tree before bursting into flames.

Crews found two bodies inside the vehicle, one man in the front passenger seat and another in the rear passenger seat.

Batteries aboard the Tesla continued to ignite despite efforts to put out the flames, authorities said. Firefighters took about four hours and 23,000 gallons of water before putting out the flames.

The Tesla Model S is an all-electric car that has an autopilot function. It was unclear if the car was in autopilot mode when the crash occurred.

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The identities of the victims were not immediately released.