A Tesla burst into flames after the car’s battery compartment caught fire on the highway Saturday, according to reports.
The Tesla Model S caught fire while traveling at “freeway speeds,” according to officials.
The crew had to lift the car to access the battery compartment.
Authorities shared a video showing firefighters desperately working to put the fire on the shoulder of eastbound Highway 50 and Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova.
Crews needed approximately 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze because Tesla’s battery cells continued to combust.
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This isn’t the first time a Tesla has burst into flames.
Last year, crews in Sacramento were called to a wrecking yard where a Tesla caught fire, which had to be put in a small pit filled with water to stop the battery compartment from reigniting. Crews used about 4,500 gallons of water on the fire at the time.
Last October, when the battery of a Tesla submerged in hurricane floodwaters became corroded and caught fire, firefighters had to use roughly 1,500 gallons of water to put out the blaze.
Nexstar’s WFLA reported the Tesla car was one of the many electric vehicles left disabled after the Hurricane.
In November, Pennsylvania firefighters had to use 12,000 gallons of water to extinguish a Tesla Model S that had caught fire after hitting debris in the roadway.
According to Sacramento Metro Fire Captain Parker Wilbourn, electric vehicle fires pose a more difficult challenge for fire crews than traditional combustion engines.
“When one battery catches fire, it preheats the next battery, the next battery, and the next battery. It causes a fire, and it is a chain reaction from there,” Wilbourn explained.
As The Hill reported:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also investigating a separate Tesla-related incident that closed part of a California roadway and left 16 people – including eight minors – injured on Thanksgiving. Authorities released video showing a Tesla Model S moving into the fast lane on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco before quickly coming to a halt. The unexpected deceleration, which reportedly happened while the vehicle was in Full Self-Driving mode, caused an eight-car pileup.
It’s unclear if Saturday’s Tesla fire is under investigation by federal officials.
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