As Tesla prepares to increase production of their Model S sports car as well as introduce other electric vehicles, a fire that destroyed a Model S on Tuesday outside Seattle, has Tesla Motors chairman, CEO and co-founder Elon Musk defending the safety of electric cars.

According to Musk, the unusual incident was the result of a large piece of metal lying on the road that punctured the underside armor plate of the vehicle and the battery, with a 25 ton force. There were no injuries, and the fire was contained by the electric vehicle’s built-in internal firewalls and vents. Firefighters punctured the top of the lithium-ion battery, which led to the fire spreading before it was put out by a combination of water and dry chemical extinguisher.

Despite the fire, Musk says it is still safer to power an automobile with a battery than with a tank of flammable liquid. A typical gasoline car only has a thin metal sheet protecting the under body, leaving fuel supply lines or fuel tanks vulnerable. Pools of gasoline forming under the vehicle will often burn the entire car to the ground.

Because of the government shutdown, it may be some time before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) decides to open an investigation into the incident.