CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. — A Tesla car reportedly caught fire Tuesday morning on Interstate 80 in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
According to WTAJ, state police said a Tesla was traveling west on Interstate 80 when it caught fire. Part of the area was restricted for some times.
According to a news release from Morris Township Volunteer Fire Company #1, just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday, they were alerted about a working vehicle fire. Once on scene, crews quickly worked to use over 12,000 gallons of water to put out the vehicle fire.
“To give you an idea of the severity, crews can normally extinguish a fully involved vehicle fire with approximately 500 gallons or less,” said MTVRC.
MTVRC said that since the Tesla had a lithium-ion battery, putting out the fire required multiple tankers. The Tesla would reignite and burn over and over, taking crews about two hours to continually apply water on the car.
“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,” said MTVRC.
According to WTAJ, a couple was driving in their Tesla on a road trip to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, to see a relative. They had just gotten the car home last Monday. The couple’s daughter told WTAJ that a large piece of debris was in the middle of the road and they could not get around it or avoid it. Once the debris got under the car, it began smoking, according to WTAJ. They pulled over and got out of their car with their dog just before it immediately caught fire.
According to a news release from Columbia Volunteer Fire Company, they said they had assisted MTVRC with putting out the fire and said it was the first known Tesla fire in that area that they knew of.
“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,” said CVFC.
No further information has been released.
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