Randall Cobb and his family escaped their burning home after a Tesla charger in the garage caught fire Tuesday, the New York Post reported. The NFL wide receiver's ordeal underscores the stunning dangers posed by President Joe Biden's push for electric vehicles.
No one was injured in the blaze that happened in the family home late at night. However, Cobb's wife Aiyda shared the details of the event that left the whole family feeling "lucky to be alive."
"The Tesla charger caught on fire in the garage late last night and quickly spread. We got out of the house with nothing but the clothes on our back and no shoes on our feet," she said in her Instagram story.
"I’ll explain more later but posting this in case I miss any appts, calls, texts, meetings. Thank you GOD," she added.
In a lengthy follow-up post, Randall Cobb recalled the series of events that left the couple and their three young children, sons Cade, Caspian, and Chance, shaken up. The Instagram post included a short video of the charred remains of vehicles and a child's bike in their garage.
View this post on Instagram
"Thank you all for the love and positive messages. First and foremost, we are all safe and healthy," Randall Cobb wrote.
"We got out of the house and I was able to go 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. 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," the post continued.
“I truly thought the cars were going to explode and that we would lode him to this tragedy. He is a true hero," Randall Cobb said. The former New York Jets player went on to explain that the extent of the damage was still unknown but that he was as grateful to all who helped, including friends who took his family in afterward.
Incidents like this may become more commonplace if Biden has his way. The administration has increased incentives for electric vehicles, including granting Tesla $17 million to build charging stations, Politico reported.
Part of the bloated infrastructure deal Biden passed with bipartisan support in 2021, it has become a boon for Elon Musk's company. However, the relatively new technology that's supposed to save the world from carbon emissions comes with problems of its own.
The Cobb family isn't alone in experiencing this harrowing phenomenon of an electric vehicle catching fire. The problem isn't just that the batteries in these vehicles will ignite but also that they will burn very hot and quickly become out-of-control infernos.
In 2023, a vehicle on a California highway spontaneously caught fire and required two firetrucks and 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish, CBS News reported. The more of these vehicles that take their place in home garages and on highways, the more these incidents may occur.
Randall Cobb and his family are lucky to be alive after this fire, which could have been catastrophic. If Biden has his way, this stunningly severe situation could become commonplace all over America.
