Tesla Car Catches Fire in California: Driver Shares Scary Experience

A California man expressed his gratitude for surviving a Tesla car fire while driving on Saturday.

Bishal Malla, a resident of Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento, had been running errands nearby and was about to enter Highway 99 near Cosumnes River Boulevard when he felt his electric vehicle (EV) shaking, which he initially assumed was a flat tire, according to KCRA.

When he opened the car door, he noticed smoke coming from the bottom, and soon after, the smoke turned into flames.

Malla had seen reports about Tesla fires before, so he quickly got out of the Tesla and dialed 911.

He stated that it was difficult not to ponder how things would have been different if his family had been in the Tesla car during the electric vehicle fire incident, considering the additional time it takes to remove children from their seats, KAKE reported.

"I'm just so lucky to be alive," Malla said.

How To Deal With EV Fire?

According to Battalion Chief Robert Kasparian of the Cosumnes Fire Department, the current best practice for firefighters dealing with an electric vehicle fire is to allow it to burn.

He explained that the challenge with EVs is accessing the batteries, which generate a great deal of heat. Firefighters often choose to let the vehicle burn until the batteries are exposed so that they can apply water or firefighting foam directly to them.

Electric vehicle fires are challenging to put out due to the high levels of heat generated by their batteries, as per a The Western Journal report. However, gas-fueled and hybrid vehicles are much more prone to catching fire than electric vehicles.

According to data from various government sources analyzed by AutoinsuranceEZ, gas vehicles are 61 times more likely to catch fire than electric vehicles, and hybrids are even worse, with more than 138 times the likelihood of catching fire than EVs.

Tags

Tesla, Electric cars, California, Sacramento, Fire