California firefighters use 6,000 gallons of water to put out “spontaneous” Tesla car battery fire

A Tesla Model S “spontaneously caught fire” while traveling down a highway in Rancho Cordova, California, prompting firefighters to respond to the scene, officials said. 

On Saturday afternoon, crew members from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District responded to a Tesla that was “engulfed in flames” due to a battery fire, officials said in a tweet. 

Video posted by Metro Fire of Sacramento showed firefighters hosing the vehicle down as other cars drove by. Photos of the aftermath of the blaze showed the totally charred front hood of the vehicle. 

Firefighters used 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames as two fire engines, a water tender and a ladder truck were called to assist. Crews used jacks to access the underside to extinguish and cool the battery, fire officials said. 

No one was injured in the incident, officials said. 

“The vehicle battery compartment spontaneously caught fire while it was traveling freeway speeds on EB Hwy 50,” the fire department said in a tweet. “The fire was extinguished with approx 6,000 gallons of water, as the battery cells continued to combust. Thankfully no injuries were reported.”