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A truck carrying eight Tesla cars caught fire on I-5 in Los Angeles, damaging six od them. However, no injuries were reported in the incident.
Police, firefighters, and transportation officials remained on fire site throughout the evening. (Image: X)
A vehicle-carrier truck transporting eight Tesla cars went up in flames on Saturday evening on the southbound lanes of the Golden State (I-5) Freeway in Sylmar in Los Angeles.
According to a report in NDTV, the blaze was reported at around 5:35 pm, prompting a swift response from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
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It took the firefighters nearly four hours to control the fire. The flames were finally doused by around 9.30pm, according to local news outlet ABC7.
The third-party logistics (3PL) semi-truck caught fire first. Thankfully, the driver is ok; unfortunately the Teslas sustained damage.We will be looking to replace the vehicles for our intended customers as soon as we can. A very unfortunate accident.
— Roshan Thomas (@roshanthomas) August 17, 2025
Dramatic footage of the fire incident surfaced on social media. The footage shared on social media platform X showed thick black smoke and flames engulfing the truck.
Of the eight Tesla vehicles on board, six were severely damaged, particularly those positioned closest to the front of the truck, where the fire appeared to have started. The rear-most cars sustained less damage.
The fire incident caused major traffic delays, with all truck lanes closed for an extended period as emergency crews worked to extinguish the fire, remove debris, and restore road safety.
Police, firefighters, and transportation officials remained on fire site throughout the evening.
LA Fire Department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz said that arrival of additional firefighters from the Los Angeles city and county fire departments was hampered by heavy traffic.
Initial speculation suggested the fire may have been triggered by the lithium-ion batteries found in Tesla vehicles, which are known to be highly flammable.
However, Tesla’s vice president of Supply Chain, Roshan Thomas, later clarified that the fire originated from the third-party logistics (3PL) semi-truck transporting the vehicles—not from the Tesla cars themselves.
In a post on X, Thomas said the driver of the vehicle was doing fine and nobody was injured in the fire incident.
In a post on X, Thomas wrote, “The third-party logistics (3PL) semi-truck caught fire first. Thankfully, the driver is ok; unfortunately the Teslas sustained damage. We will be looking to replace the vehicles for our intended customers as soon as we can. A very unfortunate accident.(sic)”
About the Author
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18…Read More
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18… Read More
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Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)
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