A Tesla truck crashed in Northern California on Monday, igniting the vehicle's battery, sparking a fire that filled the air with toxic fumes and forced the closure of Interstate 80 in both directions, the California Highway Patrol said.
The electric truck veered off the eastbound interstate near Nyack Road in Placer County and crashed into trees on the right shoulder about 3:15 a.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol's incident information website. The driver walked from the crash scene and was taken to the hospital.
The Tesla's battery caught fire and toxic fumes spread across the nearby interstate, CHP Officer Jason Lyman said. The battery is burning at about 1,000 degrees and firefighters are having to wait for it to burn out, he said.
Semi-truck traffic is backed up at the Nevada state line westbound and eastbound at Applegate, and passenger vehicles are being diverted eastbound on Highway 174 and westbound on Highway 20 to avoid fumes from the crash.
