Pro Bowl wide receiver Randall Cobb posted images of his home online showing the aftermath of a fire caused by a Tesla charger in his garage that caught on fire.
The blaze happened at the 33-year-old’s Nashville, Tennessee, home where he lives with his wife and three children. Wife, Aiyda Cobb, was the first to make comments about the incident online: “We are lucky to be alive. The telsa charger caught on fire in the garage late last night and quickly spread,” she reportedly said in an Instagram story.
“We got out of the house with nothing but the clothes on our back and no shoes on our feet,” a screenshot of her post showed.
‘I can’t get the image of the brave firefighter getting into position out of my head.’
Cobb himself posted a message the next day thanking firefighters and the community for their actions.
“Thank you for all the love and positive messages,” Cobb said in a joint Instagram post with his wife. “First and foremost, we are all safe and healthy. We got out of the house and I was able to get back in and get our dog, Louie. We can’t thank Chief Caruthers, Captain Irvin and the Nashville Fire Department enough for their swift action.”
Cobb seemed particularly affected by the thought of the firefighters risking their lives to save his possessions.
“I can’t get the image of the brave firefighter getting into position out of my head; he didn’t even have water to shoot yet. I truly thought the cars were going to explode and that we would lose him in this tragedy. He is a true hero,” Cobb continued.
“Unfortunately we don’t know how much, if anything, will be salvageable, but this has been a reminder that nothing is more important than the health of our family.”
The athlete finished by thanking the community of Nashville and the support his family has received from close friends who have provided a “temporary roof” over the family’s heads.
After that, Cobb showed a video of the ash-covered interior of his garage, which included the Tesla. The walls were black from smoke and fire damage. Another video showed a damaged Mercedes SUV as the football player continued to examine the wreckage with a fire official.
The Nashville Fire Department confirmed to CNN that the fire was caused by an electric vehicle in the garage. The department clarified that the fire was contained to the garage, but “heavy smoke damage” happened in different parts of the home.
“There were no injuries reported to civilians or [fire] personnel,” the department reportedly said. “The investigation is ongoing and some details are unavailable, as part of the investigation.”
The news comes after a recent three-year study revealed that almost half of EV owners in the United States said they are very likely to switch back to gas-powered cars. At 49%, only Australians had a stronger response in terms of switching back to gasoline, with American consumers saying the same at a rate of 46%.
Cobb is currently a free agent in the NFL after spending the 2023-24 season with the New York Jets. He’s been in the NFL since 2011.
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