A burning Tesla semi-trailer truck kept both directions of California’s Interstate 80 closed for hours in the Sierra Nevada on Monday.
Cal Fire crews responded to the scene of an electric semi-truck fire near Emigrant Gap around 3 a.m. The California Highway Patrol later confirmed it was a hazardous materials situation due to potentially toxic fumes from the semi’s batteries.
According to first responders, the batteries of the electric semi-trailer were still burning hours later.
Caltrans District 3
Due to the situation surrounding the batteries, people are being kept at least half a mile away from the accident scene.
“The battery itself is not something you can just spray with water to put out. You need either a dry chemical or very large amounts of water, I’ve heard up to 40,000 gallons,” said Ofc. Jason Lyman of CHP Gold Run.
It is not known what the semi-trailer was transporting.
Longer closure of I-80
CHP initially expected the road to reopen around 8 a.m. Monday, but the highway remained completely closed until late afternoon. The westbound lanes reopened at 4:30 p.m., but the eastbound lanes did not reopen until late evening.
To keep the flames under control, Cal Fire aircraft dropped fire retardant on the semi-trailer, as they would when fighting a forest fire.
The incident began with a crash when the semi-trailer left the road and crashed into the trees. No injuries were reported, according to the CHP.
Electric vehicle fires
Fires involving electric vehicles have proven problematic for first responders.
In 2023, firefighters in the Sacramento area said they needed about 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames of a Tesla Model S that caught fire on Highway 50. A few months later, firefighters decided to just let another electric vehicle burn out on Highway 99.
