A semi-truck transporting eight Tesla EVs caught fire on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, leading to extensive road closures and significant traffic disruptions on Saturday evening. The Los Angeles Fire Department has not disclosed the cause of the inferno that required a massive team of firefighters to put out.
KTLA reports that a semi-truck carrying a load of Tesla vehicles became engulfed in flames on the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway in Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood of Los Angeles, at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) swiftly responded to the scene to combat the blaze which required a massive number of first responders and equipment to contain.
LAFD told Breitbart News that the cause of the fire had not been determined as of Monday morning. This article will be updated when additional information is available.
According to video footage from the incident, the truck was hauling at least eight Tesla vehicles when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle caught fire. The flames rapidly spread, consuming both the truck and several of the cars on the trailer. The intense fire posed a significant challenge for firefighters as they worked to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to the remaining vehicles.
As a result of the incident, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued a SigAlert, leading to the closure of both northbound and southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway. The road closures caused major traffic delays that persisted throughout the night, with drivers being diverted to the northbound 14 Freeway as an alternative route. CHP officials encouraged motorists to avoid the area and seek alternate routes if possible.
Fortunately, the driver of the semi-truck managed to escape the burning vehicle unharmed. LAFD firefighters worked diligently to save the vehicles that had not yet been affected by the flames, while also focusing on extinguishing the fire that had engulfed the cab of the truck and many Tesla EVs.
LAFD fights Tesla fire as car carrier is engulfed in flames
The LAFD released a statement regarding the incident, stating, “LAFD firefighters are still on scene of a fire involving several vehicles on a tractor-trailer in Sylmar tonight. Thankfully, the driver and others nearby were not hurt. Please continue to avoid smoke and runoff in the area as crews complete their work.”
The LAFD posted an album of pictures to Flickr of their efforts to extinguish the fire, writing:
SYLMAR – On August 16, 2025, at 5:35 PM, firefighters responded to a tractor-trailer fire on the 5 Freeway near Balboa Boulevard in Sylmar. First-arriving crews found a trailer carrying multiple electric vehicles, with both the truck and several of the trailered cars involved with flames. Access to the fire was slowed by rush-hour traffic, but LAFD fire companies, LAFD HazMat specialists, LA County Fire, CHP, and Caltrans HazMat personnel arrived as quickly as possible to support firefighting efforts and scene management. The driver of the tractor-trailer was confirmed uninjured, and no other injuries were reported as the incident progressed.
Firefighters accessed water from a surface-street hydrant, running supply lines down from a nearby overpass to support the operation. Incident Command requested the use of Class B foam and Thermo-Gel to contain the fire and attempt to protect vehicles not yet involved with flames; a truckload of sand was also requested to assist with runoff containment. Crews extinguished the fire, successfully protecting two of the electric vehicles from flame impingement. While the 5 Freeway reopened to general traffic, recovery operations continued for several hours on the southbound truck lanes.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and authorities have not released any information regarding the potential factors that may have contributed to the incident, including the potential for a Tesla battery fire to have started the blaze.
Read more at KTLA here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
