The Tesla Semi fire on Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap took about 50,000 gallons of water to fight, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The 15-hour closure figure came from the NTSB’s September 2024 preliminary account; its later August 2025 closeout memorandum revised the closures to 17 hours eastbound and 12 hours westbound.
What happened in the Tesla Semi crash?
On August 19, 2024, a 2024 Tesla Semi traveling eastbound on I-80 near Emigrant Gap in Placer County, California, left the roadway on a right-hand curve and uphill grade. It struck roadside objects, including a tree, and came to rest down an earthen slope. The truck was traveling without a trailer at about 50 mph, according to the NTSB’s August 2025 closeout memorandum. Its lithium-ion battery system ignited after the crash and impact with the tree. The driver was uninjured.
The NTSB’s incident page says the Semi was equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), but the system was not operational and could not be engaged at the time. The agency’s public accounts do not establish that ADAS caused or prevented the crash.
How much water did responders use?
The NTSB estimated that responders used approximately 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish flames and cool the battery system. Its 2025 investigation report describes two applications: about 9,000 gallons at approximately 10:15 a.m., followed later by 35,000 gallons applied in a fog pattern while battery temperatures were monitored. Those two reported applications total 44,000 gallons; the NTSB’s overall estimate remains approximately 50,000 gallons. These are figures for this incident, not a general estimate for extinguishing electric-vehicle or battery fires.
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The investigation report reproduces this instruction from the Tesla Semi Emergency Responders Guide: “Use large amounts of water to cool the battery enclosure”. The guide also warns that a battery can reignite and calls for monitoring high-voltage battery temperature for at least 24 hours.
How long was I-80 closed?
The NTSB published different closure durations in its preliminary account and later closeout memorandum. The later figures are the revised ones; eastbound and westbound durations should not be combined into one closure time.
| NTSB document | Eastbound I-80 closure | Westbound I-80 closure |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary incident account, released September 12, 2024 | 15 hours | 14 hours |
| Closeout memorandum, dated August 12, 2025 | 17 hours | 12 hours |
What happened after the fire?
CHP, CAL FIRE, Caltrans, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Placer County Hazardous Materials Team responded. The incident commander and hazardous materials team ordered an evacuation within a one-third-mile radius. Investigators documented air-quality measurements and thermal monitoring; responders also applied fire retardant from the air as a precaution to protect nearby vegetation.
After the truck was towed to an open-air facility, it was monitored for 24 hours. The NTSB report says no reignition was observed during that monitoring period.
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What did the NTSB conclude?
The NTSB’s August 2025 closeout memorandum states, “No further action beyond this memorandum will be taken.” The memorandum does not provide a probable-cause determination. Its disposition is a closeout, not a finding that the ADAS caused the crash or that the fire began spontaneously.
Sources: NTSB preliminary incident account, September 12, 2024; NTSB Office of Highway Safety closeout memorandum, August 12, 2025; NTSB report of investigation.
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