A Tesla Semi went off the road on Interstate 80 (I-80) in California, United States and crashed into some trees before going up in flames at around 3am on Monday (August 19, 2024). This caused major delays for people travelling in both directions on the highway as fire crews rushed to deal with the blaze stemming from the big rig’s batteries.
According to KCRA, surrounding roads in a half-mile (0.8-km) radius were also closed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) because of the toxic fumes emanating from the battery fire that pose an inhalation danger. The fire was put out and the I-80 was eventually reopened after nearly 16 hours.
Unlike fires involving internal combustion engine cars, electric vehicles (EVs) and their high-density batteries take a lot longer to extinguish due to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. This is where a battery pack overheats and ignites other cells, leading to an intense and prolonged fire that can release large amounts of heat, toxic gases and chemical fumes.
“When they break down, they start feeding off each other and they catch fire. They burn themselves out using the battery itself as fuel,” said Cal Fire division chief Ryan Woessner. Firefighters at the scene have to wait for the charge of the big rig’s batteries to die, burn themselves out and cool to a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
“The battery itself, you can’t just spray water on it to put it out. It takes either some sort of dry chemical or very huge amount of water, I’ve heard as much as 40,000 gallons,” said Jason Lyman, an officer with the CHP Gold Run office, as reported by CBS News.
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