Image Credit: Chattanooga Fire Department / Facebook
Tennessee Conservative News Staff –
Residents of a downtown Chattanooga apartment complex are suing over restrictions placed on electric vehicles.
According to court documents, residents filed a lawsuit after the HOA Board of Directors for One North Short condominiums made the decision to no longer allow charging of electric vehicles in their parking garage outlets. This change went into effect as of July 1, 2025.
Instead, residents are forced to use a Tesla supercharge station that is located about a three-minute drive from the condos or one of three public charging stations nearby.
Some residents report that the change has cost them close to $300 per month.
The decision comes after a 2024 fire in a nearby complex at 417 Frazier Avenue. According to the final report of the incident, a fire broke out after a Kia EV9 was plugged into a Tesla charger with a Kia adapter.
The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to the scene, evacuating the entire complex and rescuing several residents who were trapped on upper floors.
Two vehicles near the EV9 were burned, and most of the cars in the garage had heat damage. Bela Lisboa, a nearby restaurant, was also damaged in the fire and forced to close for several weeks.
The lawsuit questions the actual cause of the fire, stating that it is likely the fire was actually caused by a Kia Telluride, a non-electric vehicle. This conclusion is drawn from a number of recalls of the Telluride due to fire.
Officials with the Chattanooga Fire Department say this was their “first large-scale incident related to an electric vehicle.” Court documents also state that the group has requested that the fire department “acquire the necessary fire suppression equipment for EV battery fires.”
A fire department spokesperson issued the following response: “We’ve met with vendors and conducted live testing using different products. We’ve looked at different types of equipment on the market, but we have not seen evidence of the effectiveness of those products to fully extinguish an EV fire.”
2 Responses
EV people are idiots.
Evidently….. Dwayne, the owner of the Kia Telluride DID NOT take the Kia in for the recall official repair OR follow the manufacture advice to park outside and away from structures until repaired. (see below info) You owe an apology for your quick ill-advised name calling of EV owners. (it’s a wonder you didn’t refer to them as Lucifer) Try reading ALL the article or do just a little research on the subject BEFORE you start your name calling. In the article===> “The lawsuit questions the actual cause of the fire, stating that it is likely the fire was actually caused by a Kia Telluride, a non-electric vehicle. This conclusion is drawn from a number of recalls of the Telluride due to fire.”
The Kia Telluride has had multiple recalls since its introduction (model years 2020 onward). The vehicle has been subject to several safety recalls issued by Kia and overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These cover various model years, with some affecting hundreds of thousands of units. Major and Recent Recalls (as of January 2026) Here is the key one related to “the fire” based on official NHTSA and Kia reports: Front Power Seat Motor Overheat/Fire Risk. Recall SC316, affecting ~462,869 vehicles, model years 2020–2024):The front power seat motors could overheat due to a stuck slide knob, potentially CAUSING A FIRE (WHILE PARKRD OR DRIVING.
Owners were advised to park outside and away from structures until repaired.