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submitted 3 months ago by Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

California firefighters had to douse a flaming battery in a Tesla Semi with about 50,000 gallons (190,000 liters) of water to extinguish flames after a crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

In addition to the huge amount of water, firefighters used an aircraft to drop fire retardant on the “immediate area” of the electric truck as a precautionary measure, the agency said in a preliminary report.

Firefighters said previously that the battery reached temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (540 Celsius) while it was in flames.

The NTSB sent investigators to the Aug. 19 crash along Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento. The agency said it would look into fire risks posed by the truck’s large lithium-ion battery.

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[-] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 53 points 3 months ago

Is water the best choice for a chemical fire?

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 46 points 3 months ago

Depends on the chemical, but it is an appropriate way to fight a liion battery fire though.

You're fighting thermal runaway. Water is very effective at cooling and helps control the fire and keep the heat down. US DOT recommends water spray.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago

Maybe. Water is cheap, available in quantity, and non-polluting. Since a battery fire is self-oxygenating, I don’t think putting it out is something you expect. All you can do is take away the heat both to contain the damage and to eventually stop the reaction.

[-] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 7 points 3 months ago

And water has great heat capacity, with a nice phase change, too.

From reading other links in this post, it sounds like pollution (runoff) is a concern, which is unfortunate.

[-] huquad@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 months ago

The water is non-polluting, the battery chemicals not so much

[-] burgersc12@mander.xyz 11 points 3 months ago

I don't think so, but what else are you gonna do? Can't really submerge it in foam at a moments notice like you're supposed to

[-] Wooki@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

The nords figured out you can put it out immersing it in salt water. Pretty self explanatory.

[-] burgersc12@mander.xyz 1 points 3 months ago

Toss them into the sea and never look back?

[-] curiousaur@reddthat.com -4 points 3 months ago
[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 22 points 3 months ago

But it the most available and least toxic fire suppression, especially on a highway.

Foam is full of PFAS, etc and the cost (in CO2 and money) of air dropping, and having to wash the foam off the highway afterwards - leading to runoff - is huge.

Imagine that happening 100 times per day on American highways (when electric trucks become commonly used).

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 months ago

This is a very confident statement. Surely you have the qualifications and certifications to back up your confidence?

this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
347 points (95.8% liked)

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