California fire crews use 20,000 liters of water to extinguish a Tesla fire.
Posted on 23.6.2022 by KTVU FOX 2
Sacramento firefighters used more than 20,000 gallons of water to completely extinguish a Tesla car that kept reigniting.
SACRAMENTO (California) – Sacramento firefighters used about 20,000 gallons of water to fully extinguish a Tesla that kept reigniting, then ended up submerging the high-tech car in a makeshift pond to completely extinguish the fire.
The white Tesla was fully ablaze when the fire crew arrived on the scene in early June, according to the fire district’s Facebook post.
The car was parked at a demolition yard for dismantling after being badly damaged in an accident three weeks earlier.
It took a lot of time, water and imagination to put out the fire,” the fire crew said. Firefighters brought the fire under control, but the car continued to reignite in the battery compartment.
Firefighters moved the car to the side to gain access.
“Even with direct penetration, the vehicle would ignite again due to residual heat,” officials said.
Eventually, the shipbreaking yard crew and personnel managed to create a small water-filled pit and submerge the battery compartment in water.
No injuries were reported.
Teslas and other electric vehicles are known to have fire issues, especially with batteries.
It can be difficult to put out the flames because lithium-ion batteries in vehicles continue to burn until all the energy is released.
Shutting down can take up to 24 hours, according to a first responder guide for the Tesla Model S.
This story was reported from Oakland, California.
