The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it took the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames sparked from an electric Tesla Semi crash.
The NTSB is investigating the cause of a Tesla Semi truck single-vehicle crash and fire that resulted in the closure of the eastbound lanes of California’s Interstate 80 for 15 hours last month.
Extinguishing the fire required 50,000 gallons of water, as well as aircraft overhead that dumped f ire retardant, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the NTSB.
“Traffic on I-80 was diverted as emergency responders worked to control the fire, using about 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames and cool the vehicle’s batteries,” the NTSB said.
The truck was then transported to an open-air facility and monitored for 24 hours. The eclectic truck’s battery system did not reignite, a constant concern in Tesla fires due to “thermal runaway.”
The semi truck, driven by a Tesla employee, was traveling to a Tesla facility in Sparks, Nevada, on August 19 when it “struck a traffic delineator permanently mounted on a steel post, collided with a tree about 12.5 inches in diameter, and continued down an earthen slope to rest against several trees,” the NTSB said.
The truck’s “lithium-ion electric battery system ignited after the roadway departure, resulting in a post-crash fire,” the agency added. The driver was not injured.
CAL FIRE, along with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), responded to the scene. Tesla also deployed a technical expert to the scene to help assess “high-voltage hazards and fire safety,” the NTSB noted.
“Air quality measurements were conducted, and a thermal scanner monitored the batteries’ temperature,” the agency added.
The NTSB is currently investigating the matter, with the intent to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar events from transpiring.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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