California firefighters had to spray 50,000 gallons of water to put out a roadside fire in a Tesla Semi, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report. Firefighters used aircraft to drop fire retardant around the “scene” as a precaution, the board said.
The accident happened at 3:13 a.m. on August 19 on the I-80 Freeway east of Sacramento. The tractor-trailer left the road while rounding a curve, struck a traffic sign, and then struck a tree. The driver was uninjured but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
California Highway Patrol
The Tesla Semi’s massive 900 kWh battery caught fire, spewing toxic fumes and reaching temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It continued to burn into the late afternoon while firefighters sprayed it with water to cool it down. (Tesla sent in technical experts to assess the high voltage hazards and fire safety.) The highway wasn’t reopened until 7:20 PM, more than 16 hours after the incident.
All of this has attracted the attention of the NTSB, which has sent in an investigative team to look primarily at the fire risk of the large lithium-ion battery packs. The agency, which can only make safety recommendations and has no enforcement powers, said it is “investigating all aspects of the accident until the NTSB has determined the possible cause.”
Given the lengthy road closure times, the dangerously hot fire, and the toxic fumes, this incident is likely to generate much debate within and outside of government. The NTSB concluded in 2021 that battery fires pose a danger to emergency responders and that manufacturer guidelines regarding such fires are inadequate.
