A Tesla big-rig crashed in Northern California on Monday and ignited the vehicle’s battery, sparking 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 semitrailer left the eastbound freeway near Nyack Road in Placer County and struck 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 a hospital.
The Tesla’s battery caught fire, and toxic fumes spread onto the nearby highway, CHP Superintendent Jason Lyman said. The battery burns at about 1,000 degrees, and firefighters have to wait for it to burn out, he added.
Semi-truck traffic is blocked at the western Nevada state line and the eastern state line at Applegate, and passenger vehicles are being routed east at Highway 174 and west at Highway 20 to avoid fumes from the crash.
