East Bay drivers heading home Tuesday evening ran into a mess on I-880 in Hayward. A Tesla Semi caught fire on the southbound side near Route 92, and the California Highway Patrol shut down the freeway in both directions.
What makes this one unusual: there was no crash. The truck simply caught fire while it was on the road.
What Happened
The fire started at around 5:35 p.m. The driver got out safely and wasn’t hurt. According to reports, the driver told officers the truck caught fire and they didn’t know why.
CHP closed I-880 in both directions, pointing to the potential risk of hazardous chemical smoke from the burning battery. Firefighters covered the truck in foam to bring the fire under control. The front of the trailer it was pulling was also badly charred.
How Long the Freeway Was Closed
At first, CHP warned that a battery fire like this could burn for 15 to 18 hours. Thankfully, crews wrapped up sooner than that.
The northbound lanes reopened Tuesday night. The southbound side stayed closed for about 10 hours, and all lanes were back open around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Tesla has not commented.
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first Tesla Semi fire to shut down a California freeway. In August 2024, a Semi caught fire on I-80 near Emigrant Gap. That truck had run off the road on a curve and hit a tree, and its battery ignited after the crash. Firefighters used about 50,000 gallons of water on that fire, and lanes were closed for up to 15 hours.
Why Battery Fires Are Different
Big electric truck batteries can burn hot and long, and they can reignite after it looks like the fire is out. That’s why closures for these fires often last much longer than for a regular truck fire.
With more electric trucks hitting the road, especially around the Port of Oakland, drivers in the Bay Area may see more of these closures in the future.
If You’re Caught in a Freeway Closure
Check Caltrans QuickMap or a traffic app before you leave. If you see smoke from a vehicle fire ahead, keep your windows up and stay well back. And if you’re the driver of a vehicle that starts smoking, pull over, get out and move far away from it before calling 911.
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