Tesla semi-truck battery fire shuts down Interstate 80 between
August 19, 2024
By KAREN VELIE
A major interstate connecting California and Nevada is currently shutdown after a Tesla semi-truck crashed and caught fire in the Sierras on Monday morning, according to the CHP. The burning batteries pose a variety of threats.
Shortly after 3 a.m., the semi-truck veered off Interstate 80 and crashed into trees near Emigrant Gap. Because of toxic fumes from the big rig’s batteries, the CHP is asking the public to remain at least a half mile away from the crash site.
“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,” CHP Officer Jason Lyman told CBS News.
Fires from lithium-ion batteries release toxic gasses and are difficult to extinguish.
In late July, Interstate 15 connecting Los Angeles with Las Vegas was shutdown for half a day after a semi-truck transporting lithium-ion batteries crashed and caught fire. In May, it took more than two weeks for firefighters to extinguish a fire at a battery storage facility in Otay Mesa in Southern California.
Meanwhile, Morro Bay residents have voiced concerns regarding the location of a proposed battery storage facility, which is in the heart of the tourist area. Those living near the rock would have to drive towards the fire and the smoke could close down Highway 1, which is their only evacuation route.
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