(Photo by Nashua Fire Rescue) The wheel, sans tire, in the foreground is pretty much the only part of the burned out Tesla that is recognizable following the fire that engulfed the car over the weekend in a tow yard -- the second time in 6 days the car caught fire.

NASHUA — The fire that broke out in a 2022 Tesla sedan while it was sitting in a secure section of a local tow yard over the weekend was the second time within a week that the vehicle burst into flames, officials said.

The first time the Tesla caught fire was April 10, when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into a tree and burst into flames in front of 472 Amherst St.

Witnesses to the mid-afternoon crash told police they assisted the driver out of the vehicle just before it burst into flames. The unidentified driver’s injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening, according to reports at the time.

Once firefighters extinguished the fire and police conducted their on-scene investigation, the vehicle was towed to a secure tow lot on Mason Street.

The heavily damaged vehicle sat in the lot for several days, but come late Friday night, police and firefighters began receiving calls for a car on fire in the lot, with flames threatening other cars and a nearby building.

(Photo by Nashua Fire Rescue) The first firefighters to arrive at the scene of the April 10 crash in front of 472 Amherst St. found a Tesla fully engulfed in flames. The driver, whose injuries weren't believed to be serious, apparently lost control, causing the car to strike the tree at right and burst into flames.

In a scenario that may evoke memories of the 1983 movie “Christine,” in which a “haunted” 1958 Plymouth Fury that took on its own personality and, among other feats, was consumed by flames but emerged virtually unscathed, firefighters who responded to the Mason Street tow lot soon discovered that the water they were pouring on the burning car wasn’t having much of an effect.

The department’s Special Hazards Unit was called to the scene, and together with the other crews were eventually able to knock down the flames enough to allow them to get close enough to roll the vehicle over so they could access the battery compartment, according to Deputy Chief Kevin Kerrigan.

To access the batteries, crews needed to remove the large plate that protects the compartment. Once they were able to remove it, crews began making headway with water and specially-rated fire extinguishers.

A hazmat team then removed the batteries and secured them in special containers, which were sealed to prevent them from reigniting.

Kerrigan said video surveillance images provided by the tow company shows the vehicle “flickering,” then bursting into flames — with nobody around.

Telegraph contributor Jeffrey Hastings provided material for this report.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.