Semi Truck Carrying Teslas Catches Fire, Halting California Freeway for Hours | Carscoops

      The cause of the fire is not clear, but it seems to have originated within the semi truck itself.

      19 hours ago

      by Stephen Rivers

      A semi truck transporting seven Teslas caught fire on I-5 in Sylmar, leading to lane closures for several hours.

      Firefighters battled the intense blaze spurred by electric vehicle batteries, but fortunately, there were no reported injuries.

      Traffic remained congested well into the night, and the source of the fire remained under investigation.

      Traffic in California is seldom pleasant, but it was particularly bad on Saturday night. Motorists on the southbound 5 freeway witnessed an uncommon sight: a semi truck completely engulfed in flames, which spread to the new Teslas on its trailer. It took emergency responders several hours to bring the fire under control.

      Drivers reported the blaze around 5:35 p.m. local time. Video footage suggests the fire ignited on the truck itself and then spread. In some clips, it visibly grew around the cab, eventually reaching the Tesla Model Y positioned above it and subsequently damaging nearly all the vehicles on the trailer, except for two.

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      As noted by SignalCV, authorities confirmed that the driver escaped uninjured. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for two hours shortly before 6 p.m., but the delays extended far longer. By 10 p.m., locals were still being warned of a two-hour backup in the vicinity. Some vehicles were stranded for extended periods, resulting in fuel shortages on the highway.

      Undoubtedly, the lithium-ion batteries onboard complicated firefighting efforts. However, the exact reason for the fire remains unknown. One onlooker who claims to have witnessed it early on mentioned that it started near the back tires of the truck. Reviewing the geography of the area reveals a steep decline of several hundred feet on I-5 just before the location of the parked semi.

      While we cannot draw definitive conclusions, the combination of that account and the steep decline raises the possibility that overheated brakes may have contributed to the initial fire. For now, we await more information from the authorities. We are relieved that everyone managed to escape without injury.

      Credit: FireChiefANF