According to Fox Business, things heated up significantly on a California freeway on Saturday afternoon when a Tesla Model 5 spontaneously burst into flames while traveling from Rancho Cordova.
The Metro Fire Department of Sacramento said around 4 PM, the battery compartment caught fire while the car was traveling on Highway 50.
The fire department officials said the Tesla was traveling at average freeway speeds when the incident occurred and that nothing unusual was reported as having taken place with the operation of the car, and that nothing had happened to the vehicle before it caught on fire.
When local firefighters arrived at the scene, the car was already engulfed in flames. As the battery cells continued to combust, fueling the flames even more, firefighters maintained a constant flow of water to extinguish the fiery mass of metal.
Jacks were also used to lift the vehicle so crews could access the cars underbelly to extinguish flames and cool the battery. An estimated 6,000 gallons of water were used on the burning car.
CBS News reports video posted by Metro Fire of Sacramento showed firefights working diligently, hosing the Tesla with water as traffic continued to drive by the charred heap of metal. The video shows the destroyed front hood and engine compartment reaching the cars windshield.
The crews squelching the burning car included two fire engines, a water tender, and a ladder truck.
The Metro Fire of Sacramento posted the details of the incident on Twitter. The post said, The vehicle battery compartment spontaneously caught fire while it was traveling freeway speeds on EB Hwy 50. The fire was extinguished with approximately 6,000 gallons of water as the battery cells continued to combust. Thankfully no injuries were reported.
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