Battery of a Tesla truck burns in accident; motorway temporarily closed due to exhaust fumes

A Tesla semi-trailer truck crashed in Northern California on Monday, igniting the vehicle's battery, sparking a fire that filled the air with toxic fumes and closed Interstate 80 in both directions, the California Highway Patrol said.

The electric semi-truck veered off the eastbound interstate near Nyack Road in Placer County around 3:15 a.m. Monday and struck trees in the right shoulder lane, according to the California Highway Patrol's accident information website. The driver survived the crash and was taken to the hospital.

The Tesla's battery caught fire and sent toxic fumes pouring across the nearby highway, CHP Officer Jason Lyman said. The battery smoldered at about 1,000 degrees and firefighters had to wait for it to burn out, he said.

The battery continued to burn until late afternoon, he said, while firefighters tried to cool it down enough for cleanup.

At around 7:20 p.m. the clean-up work was completed and the motorway was reopened to traffic in both directions.