A Tesla big rig crashed in Northern California on Monday, igniting the vehicle’s battery, starting a fire that filled the air with toxic fumes and forced the closure of Interstate 80 in both directions, the California Highway Patrol said.
The electric semi truck went off the road eastbound near Nyack Road in Placer County and crashed into trees on the right shoulder around 3:15 a.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s incident information website. The driver walked away from the crash and was taken to hospital.
The Tesla’s battery caught fire and toxic fumes wafted down the nearby highway, CHP Officer Jason Lyman said. The battery was smoldering at around 1,000 degrees and firefighters had to wait for it to burn out, he said.
Officials opened to westbound traffic around 4:30 p.m., but eastbound traffic was expected to remain closed for at least a few more hours, Lyman said. The battery was still burning, he said, into the late afternoon hours while firefighters tried to cool it down enough for cleanup.