MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Six brand-new Tesla vehicles caught fire on Florida's Turnpike in Martin County on Friday night, forcing the shutdown of north and southbound lanes of the Turnpike and parts of I-95 due to toxic fumes.
Viewer video captured the moment the car carrier erupted in flames, showing the scale of the blaze that Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) ultimately allowed to burn out before extinguishing.
WATCH WPTV'S COVERAGE BELOW:
District Chief Joshua Shell said a brake pad from the trailer hauling the 6 Teslas ignited and quickly spread to the vehicles.
"It was six Teslas that were on fire; it changes the dynamics of how we fight those types of fires," Shell said.
Shell said the incident is part of a pattern that firefighters are seeing with increasing frequency.
"It's becoming, I would say, more monthly, almost weekly," Shell said.
"We've had to change how we combat these fires, because it's destroying some of our gear, it's destroying our equipment," Shell said.
At the center of the challenge is a phenomenon known as thermal runaway — a self-sustaining reaction unique to lithium-ion battery fires.
"We call it thermal runaway. So what happens with EV fires is they're self-sustaining; they actually can create their own energy. So, once a battery catches on fire, it just creates more energy and actually starts to create explosions. It starts to create different gases, toxic gases," Shell said.
Shell said those toxic gases and the risk of explosions sending car parts across both highways made shutting down the roads necessary. MCFR's hazardous materials rig is equipped with specialized sensors designed to detect harmful levels of those toxic fumes.
"Thermal runaway creates toxic gases. There were multiple explosions, throwing car parts all over both highways, so at that point, as I said, we let it burn out. It was the safest thing to do," Shell said.
Shell said extinguishing the fire with water would have required an enormous amount, and the runoff posed additional risks of toxins entering the grass, storm drains, and groundwater.
Shell said the department has had to adapt its training and tactics as electric vehicles become more common on the road.
For EV owners, Shell offered this safety advice:
"We would honestly recommend, and once it's bigger than a smaller fire, and you can't handle it, is to honestly just exit the vehicle, call 911, wait for first responders, and stay out of the smoke. The biggest thing is to stay upwind of it, out of the smoke," Shell said.
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