Considered dangerous by some, electric cars continue to be the subject of theories that they catch fire more easily than gasoline-powered ones. A theory including a Volkswagen Up which caught fire on April 5, 2024 in Milan and which was not electric was also a victim.
For those in a hurry:
- On April 5, 2024, a Volkswagen Up caught fire on Via San Marco in Milan.
- A theory spread on the Internet that the car would be electric.
- The Volkswagen Up that started the fire was not electric.
- The fire, which started from UP, then affected two other cars, including an electric one.
Analyzes
Let's see a screenshot of one of the messages being checked. The description reads:
AN ELECTRIC CAR CAUGHT FIRE IN VIA SAN MARCO
The theory quickly spread on the Internet that the Volkswagen Up consumed by the flames was electric. A video posted on YouTube by Agenzia Italia News titled “Electric car catches fire via San Marco in Milan” is linked. Nicola Porro also published a video on Instagram, without mentioning the model of the car or the real origin of the fire: “An electric car catches fire in Via San Marco in Milan. Now it’s a real disaster to turn it off.”
The eyewitness
Contacted by Open, an eyewitness present at the scene of the fire when the flames had not yet engulfed the car sent us images of the Volkswagen Up taken while the model was still clearly visible (below). The filming area corresponds to Via San Marco in Milan.
The “Up” inscription is clearly visible, different from that which appears on the electric version of the German car, indicated by the name “e-Up”.
The response of the Milan firefighters
Contacted by Open the fire department's press office confirmed that the fire started from the fuel-powered Volkswagen Up and then involved two other cars: a Renault Clio also equipped with an internal combustion engine and an electric Citroën AMI, which was not, however, the cause of the fire. flames. The presence of the cars is confirmed by the photo of Claudio Furlan The Presstaken directly via San Marco and reported by Milan today.
The electric car owner's response
In response to Nicola Porro's post, and in particular to her followers, Internet user Laura Castiglione publishes a reel where she declares that she is the owner of the electric car:
@nicolaporro she's probably already sleeping, I just got home from work! It was my car and as you will understand in the second part of the video and how it is now! Before providing information, you should do some research. My electric car was parked next to a non-electric car which caught fire this morning for reasons which will be clarified! Anyone who was on Via San Marco noticed that the car that was set on fire first was not electric. But I don't think it would have made the news. What really irritated me was the mockery of being defined by his dear followers as an ECO idiot!
We report one of the Facebook publications where Nicola Porro's reel is shared:
The future is electric, because it is safe and does not pollute, it is happening in Milan via San Marco (electric car) we vote en masse for the petition that you find on the BAN page, to protect us from this eco -bullshit and everyone will be present on May 18 with our motorcycle
Conclusions
On April 5, 2024, a Volkswagen Up caught fire on Via San Marco in Milan. A theory spread on the Internet that the car would be electric. But the Volkswagen Up that caught fire was not electric. The fire, which started from UP, then affected two other cars, including an electric one.
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