Tesla Semi catches fire and shuts down I-880 in California

At about 5:35 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, a Tesla Semi traveling southbound on I-880 near Route 92 in Hayward burst into flames. The truck, an early-production unit delivered to Frito-Lay, was not involved in a crash. The driver escaped the cab without harm and watched the rig turn into a roaring blaze from the side of the freeway.

Highway shut down for hours

The California Highway Patrol closed both northbound and southbound lanes of I-880 from Winton Avenue to Route 92 because of concerns about toxic smoke. The northbound lanes reopened at 8:40 p.m. The southbound lanes, where the truck burned, reopened at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. No injuries were reported.

The fire appeared to center on the battery area of the tractor before spreading to the whole unit. The Hayward Fire Department sprayed foam over the truck. The California Highway Patrol said the lithium batteries were "incredibly difficult to extinguish." The driver told officers the truck had simply caught fire and that he had no idea why.

Tesla builds the Semi in two versions: a Long Range model with an 822 kWh battery for up to about 500 miles, and a Standard Range model with a 548 kWh pack for up to about 325 miles. The version involved in this fire has not been identified.

This was the second reported Tesla Semi fire. The first, in 2024, began after a Semi left the road near Emigrant Gap, California, and struck a tree. It took about 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish. The cause of this fire is still unknown.