CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi firefighters encountered a dangerous and unusual situation early Sunday morning when they responded to an electric vehicle fire that required a different approach than traditional car fires.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on the 6000 block of Ennis Joslin Road near Alameda Drive. Police say a Tesla burst into flames after the driver crashed the vehicle.
Electric vehicles are powered by lithium batteries, which present unique challenges when they catch fire. Unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, these battery fires are extremely difficult to extinguish using conventional firefighting methods.
In this case, crews had to allow the vehicle to burn itself out completely. A fire department spokesman said while they do carry special blankets designed to smother fires, they were not adequate for a fire of this magnitude.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. A vehicle parked in a nearby driveway suffered minor damage from the blaze.
The crash highlights the growing challenges emergency responders face as electric vehicles become more common on roadways. Lithium battery fires can burn for hours and may reignite even after appearing to be extinguished.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
