19 August 2024
By KAREN VELIE
A major highway between California and Nevada is currently closed after a Tesla semi-truck crashed and caught fire in the Sierras on Monday morning, according to the CHP. The burning batteries pose a number of dangers.
Shortly after 3 a.m., the semi-truck left Interstate 80 and struck trees near Emigrant Gap. Because of toxic fumes from the semi’s batteries, the CHP is asking the public to stay at least a half-mile away from the crash scene.
“The battery itself is not something you can just spray with water to put out. You need either some kind of dry chemical or a huge amount of water, I’ve heard up to 40,000 gallons,” CHP officer Jason Lyman told CBS News.
Lithium-ion battery fires release toxic gases and are difficult to extinguish.
At the end of July, Interstate 15, which connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas, was closed for half a day after a semi-trailer loaded with 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 raised concerns about the location of a proposed battery storage facility in the middle of the tourist area. Those living near the rock would have to drive in the direction of the fire and the smoke could close Highway 1, their only evacuation route.
