Tesla EV catches fire for hours on Colorado highway

DENVER (KDVR) — An electric vehicle fire on South Parker Road required multiple agencies to suppress the blaze, according to several agencies’ social media posts.

As of 11:30 a.m., the South Metro Fire Rescue reported that both directions of the roadway were closed due to the fire, which was reported between North Pinery Parkway and South Pinery Parkway. The agency reported at about 3 p.m. that one lane in each direction had been reopened and the car’s wreckage was being towed from the scene.

Flames were reported to have spread to nearby grass but crews were able to contain them. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported at 12:30 p.m. that the fire had been extinguished, but firefighters removed an electric vehicle fire blanket that was put in place to smother the fire at about 1:40, and flames were still visible.

At about 12:45 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue reported that one northbound lane had reopened to traffic, but crews were still working to get the electric vehicle towed to a safe location and reopen the southbound lanes. At about 1:23 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue reported that all lanes were closed again for “an undetermined amount of time” as hazmat crews worked to extinguish the EV fire once again.

Ultimately, crews decided to let the fire burn itself out before towing the vehicle away. The fire’s cause was still under investigation, but the driver was reported to have safely evacuated the vehicle. A South Metro Fire Rescue public information officer said the car was a Tesla, but the model was unknown.

According to social media posts, Franktown Fire, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Parker Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and South Metro Fire Rescue also responded to the electric vehicle fire.

No injuries were reported in the fire, but the agencies asked drivers to find alternate routes as they suppressed the blaze.

According to Thompson Safety, a company that provides safety solutions for companies near Houston, electric vehicle fires present a lot of danger to crews working to put the fire out due to the presence of a lithium-ion battery, which is usually what catches fire. The batteries are “prone to reigniting,” according to the company, because lithium has a high ignition point that needs to be “cooled to a sub-ignition temperature.”

According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, lithium-ion battery fires can be extinguished by a large volume of water to suppress the flames and cool the battery, or by removing a fuel source, like oxygen, which can be done by using an electric vehicle fire blanket.

The South Metro Fire Rescue hazmat team used such a blanket to smother the fire, removing access to oxygen that was fueling the blaze.