Sunday, January 29, 2023

Fire crews use 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish burning Tesla Model S whose battery spontaneously combusted.

Or, 4,500 gallons of water; the story mentions both amounts.

Daily Mail: California fire crews use SIX THOUSAND gallons of water to extinguish burning Tesla Model S whose battery spontaneously combusted while driving down busy freeway.

* Fire officials said that nothing was wrong with the car before it combusted.
* Approximately 6,000 gallons of water was used to extinguish the blaze.
[.]
It is unclear what caused the blaze,[.]
[.]
Firefighters arrived at the wrecking yard to find the Tesla fully engulfed in flames. Each time the firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames, the Tesla's battery would reignite the fire.

The fire department posted an Instagram video of the ordeal, saying that even when firefighters moved the Tesla onto its side to spray the battery directly, the car would burst into flames again 'due to the residual heat.'

Eventually, the firefighters dug a pit near the Tesla and moved the burning car into it and then filled the pit with water, 'effectively submerging the battery compartment.'

The technique worked, and the fire department was able to put out the fire with no injuries and 4,500 gallons of water used - about the same amount of water used for a building fire.

Fires generated from electric vehicles can be especially hazardous, as they generate over 100 organic chemicals including some potentially fatal toxic gasses like carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.

Hazardous chemicals and fatal toxic gasses are good for the environment! 👍

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