Wheels on fire: Tesla bursts into flames on California highway car began to ‘shake’
Bishal Malla, of Elk Grove, was driving down Highway 99 near Cosumnes River Boulevard when he started to feel his electric vehicle begin to shake. He stopped to check if he had a flat tire, but when he opened his door, he found smoke billowing from underneath the car. He immediately got out of the car and to safety and called 911. He was alone in the car, which he was grateful for as he watched the two car seats burn to a crisp. He was on his way home to go to a party with his wife and their two children, one and three. ‘I’m just so lucky to be alive at the moment. I’m so glad that my family was not there,’ he said.
Wheels on fire: Tesla bursts into flames on California highway car began to ‘shake’
- Bishal Malla, of Elk Grove, was driving on Highway 99 near Cosumnes River Boulevard when he started to feel his electric vehicle begin to shake
- He stopped to check if he had a flat tire, but when he opened his door, he found smoke billowing from underneath the car
- He immediately got out of the vehicle and went to safety to call 911
Bishal Malla, of Elk Grove, was driving down Highway 99 near Cosumnes River Boulevard when he started to feel his electric vehicle begin to shake and thought he had a flat tire.
However, when he stopped to check, he was shocked to find smoke billowing out from under the car.
‘The moment that I opened the door, I saw smoke coming from the bottom,’ he told KCRA.
Fortunately, Malla had seen various reports about Tesla’s catching on fire and quickly exited the vehicle, where he alone, and called 911.
The smoke quickly turned into large flames and all the father-of-two could think about was the empty car seats in the back, knowing it would have taken him a lot longer to get a safe distance away if he had to pull his children, aged 1 and 3, from their seats.
‘I was about to go home, take the family and the kids, and go to a party,’ he said. ‘I’m just speechless right now.’
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Bishal Malla, of Elk Grove, was driving down Highway 99 near Cosumnes River Boulevard when he started to feel his electric vehicle begin to shake and thought he had a flat tire.
However, when he stopped to check, he was shocked to find smoke billowing out from under the car. The smoke quickly turned into large flames. It is unclear what started the fire
‘The issue with the electric vehicles is access to the batteries,’ he told KCRA. ‘The batteries are what are causing the enormous amount of heat buildup. A lot of times fire departments will just let the vehicle burn until it’s down to the point where they can actually access the batteries and put water or firefighting foam on the batteries themselves.’
Tesla, which has an emergency response guide on its corporate website, said a Model Y takes ‘approximately 3,000-8,000 gallons of water, applied directly to the battery, to fully extinguish and cool down a battery fire,’ which could take 24 hours to completely cool before responders can interact with the vehicle.
An average car fire takes 500 to 1,000 gallons of water to extinguish. This means a Tesla takes 40 times more water to contain a battery fire when compared to a gas-powered car.
It is unclear what model Malla drove or what caused the fire.
The father-of-two is now working with his insurance provider about the claim but said he would not buy an electric vehicle in the future.
‘It’s all gone,’ he said. ‘I’m just so lucky to be alive at the moment. I’m so glad that my family was not there.’
Earlier this year, firefighters had to used 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish a Tesla Model S that spontaneously burst into flames on a busy highway outside of Sacramento.
The driver, who was not injured, was on Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova around 3pm when smoke started to come out from the front of the car.
Officials responded to the scene with two fire engines and a water tender. The Metro Fire of Sacramento crew said that nothing was previously wrong with the car.
It is unclear what caused the blaze, but the federal government is also probing multiple Tesla self-driving crashes with some resulting in deaths.
Tesla cars continue to erupt in random fires that take thousands of gallons to put out and risk re-igniting from the battery’s heat
Tesla has found itself among the headlines of random vehicle fires, as more and more of the cars continue to burn.
From people being stuck inside their vehicles to firefighters standing helplessly at the scene waiting for the flames to die down on their own, the electronic vehicle has proven tough in emergency situations.
In November 2022, a Model S was burnt beyond recognition in Pennsylvania after it caught fire, forcing firefighters to use 12,000 gallons of water to put it out over a two-hour period.
If it weren’t for the car’s rims, nobody would able to tell that it was a vehicle.
Authorities said that the excessive fire was due to the car’s lithium-ion battery. The release read: ‘This vehicle burnt so hot and long that if it was not for the rims, you might not even of know it was a vehicle.’
In November 2022, a Model S was burnt beyond recognition in Pennsylvania after it caught fire, forcing firefighters to use 12,000 gallons of water to put it out over a two-hour period.
If it weren’t for the car’s rims, nobody would able to tell that it was a vehicle. Authorities said that the excessive fire was due to the car’s lithium-ion battery
The company added: ‘Due to the lithium ion battery on the vehicle, extinguishing this fire would require additional tankers as the vehicle would continue to reignite and burn fierce at times. In total it took crews nearly two hours of continually applying water on the vehicle as the battery would begin to reignite and hold high temperatures.’
Tesla vehicles have undergone recalls for various reasons over the last 12 months but none for battery issues.
In August, an Australian family’s home was destroyed after their Tesla caught fire.
The fire is understood to have been started by a Tesla, which was charging in the family’s garage.
‘The fire has destroyed the garage and two vehicles inside,’ a firefighter at the scene said.
‘The fire has travelled through to the house and destroyed the kitchen.
In August, an Australian family’s home was destroyed after their Tesla caught fire
In November 2021, a mother-of-five died in a Tesla after crashing it and it quickly igniting, trapping her.
Christy Corder, 41, of Ohio, crashed her Model Y near Merwin Elementary School in Mason, about 22 miles from Cincinnati, on November 8.
Corder’s car hit a pole and a tree before overturning into what appeared to be a front yard on Gaskins Road and Red Fox Drive, police said. Her car caught fire with the tree crushing the vehicle, trapping Corder inside.
An unidentified Rumpke recycling driver heard the explosion at 4.15am.
He told police he did not see anyone get out of the car.
Corder was pronounced dead at the scene.
Firefighters were still pouring water onto the vehicle hours after the crash, which is not uncommon with a Telsa – as it takes 40 times more water to stop the fire than a normal gasoline-burning car.
Christy Corder, 41, died after her car crashed into a pole and a tree before it overturned and caught fire, leaving her trapped inside her Tesla Model Y in November 2021
The electric battery lit on fire after a tree fell on the car, causing the vehicle to burn. Corder was pronounced dead at the scene
