Elon Musk is playing superhero again. This time with the California wildfires.

Elon to the rescue again?
 By 
Raymond Wong
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

As California's deadly wildfires rage on, none other than billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk has come forth to offer help once again.

Just after midnight (ET) on Saturday morning, Musk took to Twitter (where else?) to offer help from his electric vehicle company Tesla, which is based in the state.

"If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know," he tweeted. "Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters. Maybe helpful for transporting people."

He also reportedly sent out an email to Tesla employees giving them permission to assist in any way they could, and for them to "not worry about payment" according to the memo obtained by Electrek.

"If there’s any way for Tesla to be helpful, please provide assistance and don’t worry about payment," Musks email reportedly said.

This wouldn't be the first time Musk has volunteered his or his companies' services to help a disaster.

In 2017, on Musk's orders, Tesla shipped its Powerpack and Powerwall batteries to hospitals ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Then in the summer of 2018, Musk attempted to help with efforts to rescue the Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave for 17 days.

He controversially insisted on building a kid-sized "submarine" and sending it to Thailand to transport them through the treacherous tunnels. While Musk likely had good intentions, his offer ended up being more interference that would land him in hot water with British cave diver Vern Unsworth, who did help rescue the trapped team, and whom he repeatedly accused of being a pedophile.

Bizarrely, after initially apologizing to Unsworth, Musk backpedaled and doubled down on the unsubstantiated claim after immaturely goading the cave diver into suing him, which is happening.

The question facing Musk is has he really changed his tune? Can he and Tesla really provide actual aid without interfering with the authorities? Or is this yet another marketing ploy to shout out Tesla veiled as an offer of help?

After the episode in Thailand over the summer, some think that Musk's seemingly always-buzzing noggin is just savvily taking advantage of another unfortunate situation.

Topics Tesla Elon Musk

Mashable Image
Raymond Wong

Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Elon Musk’s SpaceX acquires Elon Musk's xAI, including social media platform X
SpaceX, xAI, and Grok logos

AI chatbots like ChatGPT are using info from Elon Musk's Grokipedia, report reveals
Grokipedia logo on mobile device

Takeaways from Elon Musk's xAI all-hands meeting: Ancient aliens, corporate structure, space catapults
Elon Musk and xAI logo

Elon Musk found liable for defrauding Twitter investors
Elon Musk arrives at federal court on March 4, 2026 in San Francisco, California.

Elon Musk's xAI raises $20 billion as Grok is investigated for deepfakes
Elon Musk

More in Tech
The Earth is glowing in new Artemis II pictures of home
One half of the Earth is seen floating in space through the open door of the Orion spacecraft.

Doomsday Clock now closest to midnight ever
A photograph of the Doomsday Clock, stating "It is 85 seconds to midnight."

Hurricane Erin: See spaghetti models and track the storm’s path online
A map showing the predicted path of Tropical Storm Erin.

Tropical Storm Erin: Spaghetti models track the storm’s path
A prediction cone for Tropical Storm Erin.

NASA to build a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, report states
The lunar surface.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!