A Tesla caught fire Tuesday on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, causing firefighters to battle flames that refused to stay extinguished.
The accident took place in Clearfield County when the driver of the vehicle was unable to avoid a piece of debris in the road, according to WTAJ-TV.
The vehicle, with the debris jammed underneath, began to smoke. This led the driver to pull over.
The car caught fire once it was at the side of the road, but the couple in the vehicle and their dog were able to escape.
A Tesla caught on fire on I-80 in Clearfield County today. It took two hours of continuous water to put it out, according to Morris Township Fire Company. “This vehicle burnt so hot and long that if it was not for the rims you might not even of know it was a vehicle.” pic.twitter.com/2cX6TEX6y0
— Geoff Rushton (@GeoffRushton) November 16, 2022
“As Engine Tanker 17 and Engine Tanker 19 arrived on scene it was quickly discovered that this was not your typical vehicle fire as crews quickly utilized just over 4,000 gallons of water,” according to a Facebook post from Morris Township Fire Company #1.
“In total approximately 12,000 gallons of water was utilized,” the fire department posted.
“To give you an idea of the severity, crews can normally extinguish a fully involved vehicle fire with approximately 500 gallons or less.”
It noted that an electric vehicle fire is a different type of blaze than a gasoline-powered car fire.
“Due to the lithium ion battery on the vehicle, extinguishing this fire would require additional tankers as the vehicle would continue to reignite and burn fierce at times,” the post said.
“In total it took crews nearly two hours of continually applying water on the vehicle as the battery would begin to reignite and hold high temperatures.”
“This vehicle burnt so hot and long that if it was not for the rims you might not even of know it was a vehicle,” it concluded.
“This is the first known Tesla Fire in this area to our knowledge,” the Columbia Volunteer Fire Company posted on Facebook.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS! Multiple fire crews in Clearfield and Centre counties say it took them 2 hours and 12,000 gallons of water to extinguish a blaze Tuesday morning after a Tesla caught fire on Interstate 80.https://t.co/QoV5axgp6R
?: Columbia Vol. FC & Morris Twp. Vol. FC pic.twitter.com/Xifab9AVyp— 6 News (@WJACTV) November 17, 2022
“Multiple tanker trucks were requested to keep the batteries cool after the fire was extinguished. A large amount of water is needed for this type of fire, to ensure the batteries stay cool and do not reignite,” the post said.
The department said it has been preparing for an electric vehicle fire.
“Training and pre-planning for an incident like this is key. Today that knowledge was put to the task, and the incident operated smoothly. Was a great learning experience for all, especially as the car industry progresses as we see it today,” the post said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
