Jan 1 (Reuters) - A Tesla Cybertruck caught fire outside

of the Trump Hotel Las Vegas on Wednesday, killing one person

and injuring several others, and news reports said it was being

investigated as a possible terrorist act.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin

McMahill said at a press conference that a person was found dead

inside the 2024 model-year Cybertruck and seven people sustained

minor injuries from the explosion.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said the electric car

maker was investigating the fire.

"The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this

matter right now," he said in a post on X, adding, "We've never

seen anything like this."

McMahill said the Cybertruck pulled up to the Trump building

at 8:40 a.m. local time. He said police were mindful of the New

Orleans attack that had occurred in the early hours of

Wednesday. The FBI said a potential explosive device was found

in the vehicle used in that attack.

"As you can imagine with an explosion here on iconic Las

Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all the precautions that we need

to take to keep our community safe. We're looking for secondary

devices," McMahill said, adding that there did not appear to be

any further threat to the community.

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump

Organization and a son of president-elect Donald Trump, posted

about the incident on X. "Earlier today, a reported electric

vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,"

he wrote.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board in 2024 opened

an investigation into a crash and fire involving a Tesla

electric semi-truck on a California highway.

Auto experts say electric vehicle fires burn differently

than those in cars with internal combustion engines, often

lasting longer and being harder to extinguish.