The S in this Tesla Model S car must have meant “spontaneous combustion.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (SMFD) was notified at 3:41 p.m. that a Tesla Model S caught fire due to a battery combustion on a California highway. The car, which was “engulfed in flames,” was found on Highway 50 East in Rancho Cordova.
According to officials, the car was not going over the speed limit and there were no distinguishable events that happened before the incident.
Fortunately, no one was harmed.
In order to extinguish the fire, firefighters employed two fire trucks, a water tender, and a ladder truck. Responders also needed to use car jacks to put out the fire under the Tesla, where its battery is located. Water used amounted to around 6,000 gallons, since the car’s battery “continued to combust.”
Studies have shown that electric vehicles do not usually catch fire, but they burn more when they do. SMFD Captain Parker Wilbourn said that these fires are hard to put out since battery explosions are known to cause chain reactions.
It’s not the first time a Tesla has caught fire. However, according to Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, they have recorded only 0.01% vehicle combustions. The figure is said to be lower than the industry’s 0.08% annual average, as reported by NHTSA and the National Fire Protection Association.
No further investigations were opened since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared the incident a “rare event.”