Driver Sustained Major Injuries After Colliding with a Tree in an EV Vehicle that Caught Fire
In the early hours of the morning, a white Tesla collided with a tree on State Route 128 at mile marker 22.7, resulting in a significant fire. Anderson Valley Fire Chief Andres Avila provided details on the incident, noting that the initial dispatch came in at 4:54 a.m. “Upon arrival, we found a Tesla fully involved in flames, with the driver already outside the vehicle,” said Avila. The driver, who sustained leg and back injuries, was given medical care and flown to a nearby trauma center.
The fire posed unique challenges to the Anderson Valley firefighters due to the nature of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. “The batteries are very difficult to extinguish because of the way they break down and the challenges in cooling them,” Avila explained.
EV fires are caused by cell rupture and thermal runaway, where lithium-ion cells react violently to air and water, potentially causing explosive reactions. This can lead to a chain reaction, with multiple cells igniting at different rates, making it hard for firefighters to determine when the fire is fully extinguished.
The environmental impact is also significant, as EV battery fires require enormous amounts of water to control—up to 28,000 gallons, compared to just 300 gallons for petrol fires, according to motorbiscuit.com.
Firefighters used special tools to mitigate these challenges, including devices that slide under the vehicle to cool the batteries and blankets to smother the flames. Despite the difficulty, the fire was controlled and did not spread to the wildland.
The response required coordination with Caltrans to clear the roadway. “We had a hard closure and used a loader to move the vehicle off the road, enabling one-way traffic control,” Avila noted. The scene was declared clear by 8:08 a.m., allowing normal traffic to resume.
Avila emphasized the importance of the volunteer firefighters who responded to the incident. “Our county could not have the service it has without our volunteers. They work hard and keep our community protected, often getting out of bed to respond to emergencies before most people are awake,” he said. The community’s support of these volunteers is crucial, as they perform their duties for free and often go unrecognized.
Though EV fires pose a challenge to extinguish, they do not appear to be more common than fuel-combustion vehicle fires. An InHook article noted that Battelle, a nonprofit research and development organization, concluded from their study that the likelihood and intensity of fires and explosions caused by the accidental ignition of flammable electrolytic solvents in Li-ion batteries are expected to be similar to, or slightly less than, those involving gasoline or diesel fuels.
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No Comments. Surprised. Not. EV Are the future. lol. Not. They Are An environmental disaster that Democrats are making $ off of.
Yeah right just the democrats are making money on EV’s. LOL. get your head out of the sand and stop listening to truth social
Does a burning EV burn a big hole through asphalt causing $100,000 road repair? Sounds like it’s hot and burns awhile
When did Elon Musk become a Democrat ?
Thanks for some balance and humor on that one!
In 2014, Musk described himself politically as “half Democrat, half Republican” and “I’m somewhere in the middle, socially liberal and fiscally conservative.” In 2018, he stated that he was “not a conservative.
He is independent, votes mostly Democrat, but he intends to vote Republican in the coming election. Google is your friend.
“In May 2022, Musk said that he could “no longer support” the Democrats, saying that “they have become the party of division & hate” and would be voting Republican due to Biden’s support for unions and his inability to “get a lot done”. In June 2022, Musk voted for Mayra Flores in a special election, stating it was the first time he ever voted Republican.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Elon_Musk#:~:text=In%20June%202022%2C%20Musk%20voted,if%https://kymkemp.com/wp-admin/comment.php?c=1740948&action=approvecomment&_wpnonce=f9405d535120he%20chose%20to%20run.
He’s right, go over to Loco, pretend to be even slightly conservative and watch the hatred roll in.
I’m still not Republican but that kind of crazy liberal hatred makes me think about it. Funny thing is…”liberal” is supposed to be broadly accepting. It’s weird times!
You certainly nailed I. I haven’t posted there for years as rampant hate and vitriol is spewed 24/7/365 and unnecessary.
Don’t forget January 6, 2021, a date that will live in Infamy, brought to us by Trump minions and the Modern Republican Party. Then they get butthurt because we don’t love them for attacking America. Go figure. You want hate and vitriol? Maybe you missed the televised coup attempt. No wonder the country’s going to hell on a rocket-sled.
Is that really what happened? Are you sure the media was telling the objective truth? Occam’s razor suggests that you may have been deceived and deluded about that one.
Are we grateful for Kim yet?
No one ever says anything like “liberalism is a mental illness” here…
But then, in Humboldt, criminals are often elected to office…
If you support a doddering felon, on his last legal and mental legs, who abuses women and wants nothing more than Fascist Theocracy, vote for Trump!
If you want a man so embedded in deception that he feels he is owed his turn in the room, who screwed over Senior Citizens by charging them Income Tax on their Retirement Benefits, who cozied up with Reagan to the point of looking a bit queer, who has had his face in the trough for over 40 years and who couldn’t pass a basic assessment for dementia, vote for Biden!
Half of Northeastern California is a Red State, from Dingville to Fort Bidwell, but although stoned, the people of Humboldt might all become card carrying Democrats, driving Teslas, and living on Mountaintops paid for by drug sales, and, they all may be smarter than the average American…
I myself, live on a Volcano, considered to be active, and am surrounded by refugees of the Bay Area and beyond, from as far away as San Diego, Connecticut and Paso Robles, most of whom just want to “get away from everything”! I don’t care if they are for one or the other, but I do think that Kelseyville should change the name to Konocti…
Mostly, the Government is recognized to be corrupt, led by the churches the original Americans wanted to escape…
We know our policies, laws and electees are schizophrenic, random and obtuse, but we gotta draw a line, somewhere!
Dump Trump, he’s been convicted of Felonies, and tried to start a revolution… Trump is Hitler II and if you can’t see this, well, I’m not wasting any time on you…
Biden is a puppet, just like Reagan, ineffectual but embarrassing, babbling his way towards WWIII while squandering our resources… China is buying is up anyway, and we will all have little red books soon…
Thank God for RHBB, because I rely on Ms Kemp and her page to tell me when the fire starts, and for sober and reflective comments, such as Mr Kirby’s, above…
Chronic TDS is a mental disease.
The Moderator certainly doesn’t..
True enough. But the moderator over there is just as much entitled to her opinion as Giant Squirrel is entitled to his conservative version of her rant. If I felt that way, I’d be entitled to say it.
I just don’t think every person who votes for Trump is evil (though man do I think Trump has a shit ideology). Got a few of those folks in my life that I respect deeply (Maybe not their political acumen though). Some of them are very kind and (my Republican father’s highest accolade) the “good neighbor” folk I aspire to be.
I am not a fan of Trump, he has only increased the division. Like you, I also have friends and family who support him, and I deeply respect them. They would be the first people I call on in moments of distress. I think many progressives only know Trump supporters through the media, which clearly is not giving an honest portrayal of the average Trump voter, and this is causing a ton of hate from the left.. if you truly believe all Trump supporters are evil, you will reciprocate that perceived evil in the form of hate.
The world is an extremely complex place and we are all likely missing enough context to at least alter our world view, this should humble us away from the certainty of hateful comments like “Fuck anyone who voted differently than me”
I will always admire and support RHBB for not falling into the same partisan trap that LOCO fell into.
Thanks, Kim. Right now I have two good right-wing friends who have done more good for the small town I live in than most of the people I agree with politically. Yet they both have terrible politics: one, given the chance, rants about evil, criminal immigrants and the other is — IMHO — a religious ideologue. They both fear and despise “socialism,” although I am not clear how they define this. (This town is not in Humboldt, altho I’m sure there are people like this in Humboldt — and everywhere) But I also like and admire these friends for the work they’re doing on the ground right here and their day-to-day insistence on fairness and honesty and the value of helping others. How do we get along? By agreeing not to discuss politics, and to focus on what we can do in our own community. I believe that if, instead of spending so much time grousing and insulting the people we disagree with, we all worked on the problems that are right under our noses, we would all be a lot more productive and more realistic about what “politicians” can and can’t do. And some progress might actually get made.
Very well said.
Good point, but i think “Fuck Biden and anyone who supports his shit ideology” would be a bit more extreme, and specific than “Liberalism is a mental disorder”, especially from the site moderator.
You folks spend a lot of time off-planet? Trump Republicans spew hate and lies across all media outlets, including local, and the go “snowflake” when someone expresses disdain over The Big Lie of a “stolen election” and whatever other little lies work. Own the Fibs, Love the Lies would be a good motto for your next flag.
Like those Rush Hour movies, “you go left, I go right”.
Chris Rock did a funny stand-up bit about being socially liberal and fiscally conservative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmvfbDdhFg
being fiscally conservative and a libertarian (not a liberal) doesn’t seem weird. but if you’re different, the crazy democrat or mean spirited republican comes up, but those are political parties, not views.
The Democrats just represent some of Elon Musk’s many tools…
That must’ve been quite the smell. Unfortunately, all the face masks were in the car
Wow, I didn’t know Elon Musk was a Democrat!? All those scores of billion$ of dollars to Democrat Musk and his cohorts. I hate to be a buzzkill, but I think you are misinformed.
A very interesting piece of reporting based on a vehicle fire. I learned a lot from this. I’m sure it’s not available right away but I’d be interested in the cause. Maybe the driver fell asleep, maybe the car froze up or maybe it was just an accident, a deer ran out or something.
Long Covid.. post 3 to 5 jabs. Lol
I knew lithium ion batteries were volatile and hard to put out any fires, but I was unaware of the effort involved in control and containment. All that water to extinguish the fire! I was like “Wow!” As for the cause, I just hope the driver wasn’t trying to use the automatic driving mode… there’s been some really bad outcomes when Tesla owners engage it on anything other than a strict freeway. The mode can’t handle frequent turns and sudden stops and there’s been some bad accidents when the autopilot is engaged on secondary roads.
Sorry to hear about the injury. This fire was from a little Tesla car. Maybe a Firefighter could answer this. How will this challenge become exponential when it is an electric semi, garbage truck, or bus?
Yep.
It’s no wonder that Fire insurance is going the way of the Dodo Bird in California…
I wonder if Tesla will get sued for the fires that their vehicles ignite, just like PGE did…???
I also wonder if the Tesla vehicle ignited, and then crashed, or crashed and then ignited…
https://people.com/human-interest/tesla-spontaneously-catches-fire-california-highway/
(Is that an inflammatory question…???)
Imagine two or more EV’s, large and/or small, involved in the same accident..
Or, multiple EV accidents in different places, within a response district, each of which will require an increased equipment response.
Resources will be quickly depleted…
Which will eventually have to be, “EEV’s, of course…(Electric Emergency Vehicles)..???
Biden’s idea is a very bad one…
He needs to be grounded.
The headline reads as if the Tesla may have caught fire first, and then crashed…
From link posted above…
(Here is an excerpt of a Tesla spontaneously combusting not due to a crash.)
“Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District received a call Saturday at 3:41 p.m that a Tesla Model S was “engulfed in flames” on Highway 50 East in Rancho Cordova with “nothing unusual [happening] prior” to the incident, according to a statement shared on social media by the department.
The vehicle battery compartment spontaneously caught fire while it was traveling freeway speeds on EB Hwy 50,” SMFD shared in the news release. “The fire was extinguished with approx 6,000 gallons of water, as the battery cells continued to combust.”
In addition to the two fire engines, a water tender and a ladder truck were used to assist. “Crews used jacks to access the underside to extinguish and cool the battery,” the release explained, also featuring photos of the firefighters’ efforts and the charred front end of the vehicle.”…
Good questions.
>”How will this challenge become exponential when it is an electric semi, garbage truck, or bus?”
—
It will be like… ‘Yee hah’ !
And the toxic fumes from the burning battery.
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Oopsie. This is known. Do EV car salespeople explain the dangers of EV Lithium batteries? I hope they do…Pinto memories and SPAM dreams. Oopsie…As a side note, Elon seems to build indestructible Tesla’s judging by the guy who drove off a 200 cliff at Big Sur with his young family of 4, and they all lived to see another day. Even landed on its wheels. Must have been the 1,000 lb batteries which kept it upright. So batteries are good for one thing, righting the ship when you purposely drive off a cliff. Keep EVs optional, no mandates.
Ballast. Noticed that a lot of manufacturers are still introducing hybrids. There are a number of applications where EVs are not appropriate.
There is a pretty good argument for the idea that hybrids may be a better solution than EVs.
Toyota noted in a leaked document sent to Toyota dealers that the minerals found in EV batteries are the most important barrier to widespread EV sales.
“The amount of raw materials in one long-range battery electric vehicle could instead be used to make six plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or 90 hybrid electric vehicles. … The overall carbon reduction of those 90 hybrids over their lifetimes is 37 times as much as a single battery electric vehicle.”
Enjoy your higher insurance premiums for going EV green.
Let the political BS go . Its a car accident .. stop talking shit to fit your agenda. Respect other people .
Ive always wanted to build a steam car that burned old tires for fuel. Probably never get around to it.
Remember the Stanley Steamer…
They clean carpets now.
If safe to do isolate and let it burn (per hazardous materials unit). Saves water too.
I’m surprised anyone was hurt.
Teslas are the safest car on the road
Good! Battery fire is a real issue.
A Tesla car battery “spontaneously” burst into flames on a California freeway, and firefighters needed 6,000 gallons of water to put it out.
The Metro Fire Department said in a series of tweets that “nothing unusual” had occurred before the Tesla Model S became “engulfed in flames,” but the agency said the car’s battery cells “continued to combust” while the fire was being extinguished.
A friend can’t park his EV truck in his garage as the manufacturer is afraid the battery might explode and burn his house down. I’d demand a refund.
There’s only one model of EV truck and that’s the Ford Lightning. It’s a nice truck and I wouldn’t mind having one… however, I don’t think powering vehicles with the same kind of batter in this phone is a good idea. I’ll buy an EV when the battery idea gives way to real technology. Something like fuel cells.
My friend’s truck is a Rivian.
“My hovercraft is full of eels.” — John Cleese
Electric cars should be banned in California for the fire hazard aspect alone. We have enough problems and money spent trying to mitigate forest fires from nature, human error etc. throw a lithium battery in the mix makes no sense. Nearly impossible to put out in a reasonable time. I fail to see how these are environmentally friendly. Electricity comes from fossil fuels for the EVs anyway
Sssshhhh! People don’t want to know about that. Electricity is magic and it just appears! That’s why it can save the world!! Fossil Fuel=Bad. Electricity=Good…
I’ve never seen more of a A hole driver than a white Tesla doing 50 over the speed limit in the safety corridor and based on that I think this Tesla (if the same guy) hit the tree and then the car took ablaze post crash