Accident involving a Tesla semi-trailer truck leads to the closure of I-80 eastbound for hours

Tesla has been testing the Semi on public roads since it was first introduced in late 2017, and so far there have been no fire incidents involving the all-electric Class 8 truck. That was until today, when reports emerged on Monday that I-80 was closed for several hours due to a Tesla Semi fire.

As in a KCRAA3 A Tesla semi-truck reportedly caught fire near the Emigrant Gap area in Placer County. Firefighters were dispatched to the area around 3:16 a.m. As a precaution, drivers in both directions were kept at least half a mile off the highway. Jason Lyman, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, pointed out that these precautions were taken because the toxic fumes from the Tesla semi-truck fire posed an inhalation hazard.

The Tesla semi-truck fire was fought by Cal Fire crews. A hazardous materials team contracted by Tesla also reportedly responded to the incident. Cal Fire Division Chief Ryan Woessner noted that it took a while to get the Tesla semi-truck fire under control.

“When they break, they feed on each other and catch fire. They burn through, using the battery itself as fuel,” Woessner noted.

Videos of the vehicle fire show that the Tesla Semi was not towing a trailer when it caught fire. The driver of the Tesla Semi was also reportedly able to leave the scene of the accident on foot, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). An investigation is currently underway to determine whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

At around 4 p.m., firefighters managed to significantly reduce the temperature of the battery fire in the Tesla Semi. The westbound lanes of I-80 were therefore able to reopen shortly before 4:30 p.m. The eastbound lanes of the interstate were reopened after 7 p.m. Firefighters are reportedly working on a plan to recover the burned-out Tesla Semi and transport it to the Nevada giant for examination.

Considering that this is the first reported case of a Tesla Semi fire, it would not be surprising if the incident led to widespread accusations about the dangers of electric vehicles. It is worth noting, then, that estimates from transportation companies PENSKE show that there are about 7,000 truck fires in the United States each year. That equates to about 19 semi-trailer fires per day.

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Accident involving a Tesla semi-trailer truck leads to I-80 being closed for hours