Contrary to what the mainstream media will tell you, electric car fires are rare. In fact, electric cars are less likely to catch on fire than their combustion counterparts. Tesla recently found that its cars are 11 times less likely to catch fire than gas and diesel-powered cars. But despite this, Tesla fires keep hitting headlines in mainstream media.

In July, a Tesla Model S Plaid mysteriously caught on fire in Philadelphia, and now a Tesla Model 3 has burst into flames on a driveway while the EV was charging. According to 6ABC news affiliate, the Tesla was parked on the 1500 block of Temple Drive in Maple Glen, Pennsylvania, when it caught on fire.

Amateur video footage shows the Model 3 engulfed in flames as firefighters tackle the blaze while trying to stop it from spreading to the house. The fire started at around 10.30 pm on November 23 at the back of the car before spreading to the garage behind it. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but the fire caused serious damage to the garage and the front of the house. The burned-out Model 3 also looks like a total loss. It's not known if the fire started in the Tesla or at the charging port, but the fire is still under investigation.

While EVs are less likely to catch on fire, lithium-ion fires can burn longer and more intensely than gas fires. A recent incident involving a Tesla Model S required firefighters to use 28,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire.

In this case, however, it took firefighters less than an hour to get the blaze under control. This latest incident has similarities with the recent Chevrolet Bolt EV fires. Like the Model 3 that caught on fire here, most of the Bolt EV fires happened while the car was charging. As a result, General Motors is working around the clock to replace the batteries in 160,000 Bolt EVs and advising owners not to leave their car charging indoors overnight.

While Tesla is currently under investigation to determine if Autopilot caused a spate of crashes involving its EVs crashing into stopped emergency vehicles, the automaker has not launched an investigation into what is causing the recent spate of fires or recalled any vehicles.