Tesla fire in Rancho Cordova latest example of how difficult EV fires can be
RANCHO CORDOVA — They happen all the time, but a car fire in Rancho Cordova is getting some extra attention after fire crews had to improvise.
That's because this was no ordinary car fire. It was a Tesla.
This Tesla fire along Highway 50 is the latest example of just how difficult electric vehicle fires can be.
"They pose a little bit of a different problem," said capt. Daniel hoy with Sacramento Metro Fire.
Sacramento Metro firefighters say gas-powered vehicles can usually be extinguished with the 700 gallons of water carried by a single fire engine, but electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries that take a lot more effort.
"It's not just put water on it, put it out and go home," Hoy said.
Hoy said crews were on this fire for three hours - going through six thousand gallons of water before it was put out.
"So it's really changed for the fire service," he said.
These fires also create a new type of hazard for first responders.
"There's still stranded energy in those batteries and we risk electrocution," Hoy said.
And fire crews are bracing for more of these calls as the number of electric vehicles grows.
California has a goal of having five million EVs on the road by 2030, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has banned the sales of all new gas-powered cars by 2035.
"The challenge is recognizing them and understanding the hazards that come with them," Hoy said.
Metro Fire has responded to three Tesla fires so far this year.
The first was in an auto wrecking yard where crews dug a trench and submerged the car in water to extinguish the blaze.
This time they tilted the car up with jacks, spraying water directly into the bottom battery compartment.
Firefighters say there's no standard response for this type of emergency, so they are learning something new each time.
"Over the next couple years, there's going to be a lot of ways people are going to come up with to try and address this issue, but until that point, this is really the best strategy we have," Hoy said.
Fire crews are also preparing to see more lithium batteries in house fires since they are used in solar power systems, electric bikes and scooters.
