A car-carrier truck carrying Tesla cars burst into flames, closing sections of the Golden State (5) Freeway in Sylmar, Los Angeles. The fire started at approximately 5:35 pm local time and consumed six Tesla vehicles while leaving the carrier truck badly damaged, as reported by local news channel ABC7.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported that the blaze was completely brought under control at approximately 9:30 pm local time, close to four hours after the fire was ignited. No one was injured, and the semi-truck driver was only injured. Traffic was drastically slowed down, and truck lanes were closed late into the evening to facilitate crews to clear the wreckage and deal with hazardous runoff from the fire.

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Delays In Emergency Response

LAFD public information officer Lyndsey Lantz added that the response was hampered by congestion on freeways, which slowed the arrival of other firefighting crews from both city and county forces. Dozens of firefighters ultimately joined the battle to keep the fire in check, sending a thick column of smoke billowing over the clogged freeway.

Initial reports indicated that lithium-ion batteries within Tesla cars could have been the cause of the fire, as they are extremely flammable. Yet, Tesla's Vice President of Supply Chain, Roshan Thomas, explained later that the fire had started within the third-party logistics (3PL) semi-truck carrying the cars, not in the cars themselves.

"Fortunately, the driver is fine; unfortunately, the Teslas were damaged," Thomas wrote in a statement. He also stated that Tesla would quickly replace the cars for the customers who were impacted by the loss. "A very unfortunate accident," he added.

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The blaze caught a lot of attention, both due to the magnitude of the destruction as well as due to the recent worries concerning the safety of electric cars. Lithium-ion batteries are generally known to pose issues to firefighters when set alight, although in this instance, Tesla claimed the vehicles were not the cause of the fire.

The authorities kept the area under observation even hours after the fire was controlled. The police, firemen, and traffic authorities were present at the spot during the evening to aid in the cleanup operation and road safety before the freeway was completely opened.