Photos of the aftermath outside Trump Tower show the badly damaged Tesla Cybertruck surrounded by petrol canisters, camp fuel, and large fireworks.

The incident occurred at around 5.40am on Wednesday, January 1 near the Las Vegas hotel of incoming President Donald Trump, with reports suggesting that a vehicle rented via the Turo app, which appeared to be stocked with fireworks, may have been involved.

Representatives of both the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department have confirmed one fatality inside the avant-garde truck and that seven onlookers suffered slight injuries, with some needing medical care.

READ MORE: Melania Trump breaks silence after New Orleans terror attack leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured

At the evening news conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill presented footage showing firefighters removing a black tarp that had been containing the blaze. He noted that the Cybertruck’s design helped limit collateral damage, as the explosion was directed upwards through the vehicle, leaving the external frame largely unscathed.

Las Vegas police released a photo of the remains of fuel canisters in the Cybertruck (

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(Image: Las Vegas police))

Elon Musk took to social media to declare, “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Speculation around terrorism remains on the table for investigators, shared an insider opting for anonymity. Facing a sea of queries from the press, Jeremy Schwartz, the FBI’s temporary head honcho in Las Vegas, admitted, “I know you have a lot of questions,” but conceded, “We don’t have a lot of answers.”

This incident comes just hours after a lorry ploughed into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter on New Year’s Day, resulting in at least 15 fatalities before the driver was fatally shot by police, an event currently under investigation as a potential terrorist attack.

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded (

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(Image: Unknown))

Eric Trump, son of the president-elect and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, took to social media platform X to comment on the fire. He praised the fire department and local law enforcement “for their swift response and professionalism.”

A spokesperson for Turo did not return a request for comment, reports the Mirror US.