The fire started around 5:35 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday, October 27, in the southbound lanes near Route 92, according to the California Highway Patrol. CHP closed I-880 in both directions because of hazardous smoke from the lithium battery. ABC7 News reports that northbound lanes reopened at 8:40 p.m. and southbound lanes were fully reopened early Wednesday, faster than CHP's earlier estimate of 15 to 18 hours. The driver got out unhurt and told officers the truck simply caught fire. The cause is still under investigation, and Tesla had not commented in the reports I found. The 15 to 18 hour figure was CHP's projection that evening, not a count of how long the fire actually burned.
The 50,000 gallons of water for a 2024 Tesla Semi fire on I-80 is a claim from the post. I could not confirm that figure in the sources I found, so treat it as unverified until a fire department or news report gives the number.
Lithium-ion battery fires are hard to fight because the cells can keep reigniting after the visible flames are out, which is why fire crews often need large volumes of water over many hours. Electrek has more on the closure and the questions about the truck.
🕒 As of October 2026
