‘Tis the season for festive lights, family gatherings—and residential building fires. Usually wintertime home fires start because of factors like heating, cooking, and dry trees strung with lights close to fireplaces and candles, along with the simple fact that more of our activities take place indoors. But last month, the owner of a Tesla Model S electric sedan in Irvine, California awoke just before 3 a.m. to a fire in her garage, where the car was plugged into a 240-volt wall socket.

As the fourth report since October of a fire involving the best-selling electric car, the incident has garnered a tad more attention than your typical electrical fire. Citing a copy of a report by the local