Tesla has caught heat in the past for its battery packs bursting into flames , but a recent incident in Corvallis, Oregon shows that the electric vehicles may pose a fire hazard not just to the cars themselves, but to the surrounding environment, too. In a severe Tuesday night crash spotted by The Drive , a speeding Model 3 collided with a power pole, shearing the pole at its base and hurling bits of the car far from the crash site, according to a statement from the City of Corvallis Police Department. The Model 3 was obliterated and its battery pack was destroyed, flinging burning-hot battery cells around the neighbourhood. Battery cells broke through windows into two different homes – one landed on a person's lap, while the other came to rest in a second-floor bedroom, catching bedsheets on fire, the Corvallis Police Department said in the statement. “A tire was ripped from the car during the collision and struck the second storey siding of a nearby apartment complex with such force that it ruptured the water pipes within the wall, destroying the bathroom to the apartment and flooding the downstairs portion of the apartment as well.” Shocking video shows Tesla bursting into flames ‘out of the blue’ Police said that the driver was travelling in excess of 160km/h (100mph) when he lost control of the vehicle, ploughing into the power pole, two trees, and a junction box. The driver fled the scene on foot and was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, miraculously. Police charged him with a driving under the influence, hit and run, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and reckless endangering. Members of the Corvallis Police Department and Fire Department attempted to collect as many of the battery cells as they could, spending roughly three hours cleaning up the scene, but the police department put out a notice telling residents of the area to be on the lookout for the “potentially hazardous batteries”. According to police, the cells can stay hot for up to 24 hours and can emit toxic fumes and chemicals. Tesla’s Autopilot system in spotlight in new US government reports on crashes Batteries overheating is always a potential problem when it comes to electric vehicles, and when the cells leave their protective pack and cooling system, that's even more likely to occur. Studies have shown that electric vehicles are no more likely to catch fire than combustion-engine cars and that they may actually be statistically safer. The driver sustaining only minor injuries may also be a testament to the Model 3's passenger safety, but the fact that electric vehicles can, in some cases, spew burning batteries into the surrounding environment and through windows may not be a good sign for those outside the car. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read Business Insider’s story .