A Tesla semitruck that caught ablaze resulted in both lanes of Interstate 80 in California's Sierra Nevada being closed on Monday afternoon.
The burning vehicle's fire rapidly spread to nearby vegetation, triggering the section of the I-80 between Colfax and state Route 20 to be closed by Caltrans at about 2 p.m. local time
The semi's burning lithium-ion batteries gave off heavy toxic fumes, and Cal Fire battled the blaze using aircraft to dump fire retardant on the flames.
The 18-wheeler Tesla semi is thought to have started burning at around 3 a.m. on Monday morning local time, having gone off the road. Mary Eldridge, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, told local news outlet SFGate that an investigation will be done into whether the blaze started before or after the truck left the road, while CBS reported that the fire was sparked as a result of the semi crashing. The driver walked away from the crash and was taken to hospital.
Newsweek has contacted Tesla for comment via email.
The burning semi started spewing out toxic fumes, prompting the closure of the interstate in order to keep motorists at least half a mile clear of the fumes.
"As long as the vehicle has vapor coming off it, that is extremely toxic," Eldridge told SFGate. "We don't want anyone driving by with open windows. We don't want any of that getting into vehicles, so this fire has to be done before the road can reopen."
When a lithium-ion battery catches fire, it can be extremely dangerous due to its chemistry and the potential for rapid, uncontrollable combustion. Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide, and other harmful compounds, which can be highly dangerous if inhaled and pose serious health risks.
Lithium-ion battery fires are challenging to extinguish. Water can cool the flames, but doesn't necessarily stop the chemical reactions inside the battery.
"When they break down, they start feeding off each other and they catch fire," Cal Fire division chief Ryan Woessner told local news KCRA. "They burn themselves out using the battery itself as fuel."
The firefighters used water to fight the blaze, but had to wait for the burning batteries to lose all their electrical charge and burn themselves out before they could finally be extinguished. Cal Fire extinguished the vegetation fire, and used flame retardants to prevent the semi fire from spreading further.
"This [lithium-ion semis] is new technology for us and we are learning with the engineers as we work through this process and the name of the game for us right now is to wait it out," Woessner said.
The battery had cooled enough by late afternoon that the westbound lane was reopened to traffic, with the eastbound lane being reopened at around 8:30 p.m. Cal Fire plans to remove the burned-out semi cab and take it back to the Tesla plant in Nevada.
Over 6,000 gallons of water were needed to put out a burning Tesla Model S that caught on fire on Highway 50 in 2023.
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