Dad says he’s grateful to be alive after Tesla catches fire

Dad says he’s grateful to be alive after Tesla catches fire near California highway

FOR SEVERAL HOURS. KCRA THREE IS LIVE IN DENVER, SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE DRIVER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW GRATEFUL HE IS TO HAVE BEEN ALONE IN THE CAR WITHOUT HIS CHILDREN INSIDE. AS BISHOP MARLA STOOD ALONGSIDE FIREFIGHTERS. HE WAS AT A LOSS FOR WORDS. I DON’T KNOW. I’M JUST SPEECHLESS AT THE MOMENT. HIS TESLA, A SKELETON OF WHAT IT HAD BEEN JUST HOURS BEFORE. AND IT’S JUST LIKE ALL GONE. AND I’M JUST SO LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AT THE MOMENT. AND I’M SO GLAD THAT MY FAMILY WAS NOT THERE, HE SAYS. HE WAS ON HIS WAY HOME. HE’D BEEN OUT RUNNING ERRANDS WHEN THE CAR STARTED SHAKING. I PULL OVER TO CHECK AND SEE IF I HAVE A FLAT TIRE OR SOMETHING. AND THE MOMENT I OPENED THE DOOR, I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM. THE SMOKE, HE SAYS, QUICKLY TURNED INTO LARGE FLAMES. HE RECORDED THEM ON HIS CELL PHONE AS FIRE CREWS LET THE CAR BURN. IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO STAND AROUND AND WATCH, WHEREAS RIGHT NOW A LOT OF THE RESEARCH AND STUDIES SAY THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS JUST LET IT BURN THE ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS ACCESS TO THE BATTERIES. THE BATTERIES ARE WHAT ARE CAUSING THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF HEAT BUILDUP THE CAR IS ABOUT TO BE TOWED AWAY. THE BATTALION CHIEF SAYS, THOUGH, THAT ONCE IT’S GONE, SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO KEEP WATCHING IT. THEY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE BATTERIES DON’T REIGNITE EVEN AFTER IT’S TOWED TO WHATEVER TOW YARD IS GOING TO A LOT OF TIMES THE TWO YARDS WILL SUBMERGE THE VEHICLE IN WATER TO KEEP THOSE BATTERIES FROM FLARING BACK UP SEVERAL HOURS LATER AND CAUSING ANOTHER FIRE WHILE MOLOTOV FOUND HIS LICENSE PLATE BURNT, HIS EYES KEPT GOING BACK TO SOMETHING ELSE INSIDE HIS VEHICLE, ADDING TO THE RELIEF HE WAS ALONE IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE. IF YOU NOTICE, THERE ARE TWO BABY SEATS STILL OVER THERE. I HAVE A ONE YEAR OLD AT THREE YEAR OLD IN SACRAMENTO AND THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE SAFER FOR ME LEON. DANIEL, KCRA THREE NEWS. WELL, IT’S SO SCARY AND I’M SO GLAD THAT HE IS SAFE. THE BATTALION CHIEF TOLD US IT WAS UNCLEAR TO FIRST RESPONDERS ON THE SCENE EXACTLY WHAT STARTED THAT FIRE. WE DO KNOW THAT MARLA IS WORKING WITH HIS INSURANCE COMPANY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S NEXT. BUT AGAIN, HE SAYS HE IS SO THANKFUL THA

Dad says he’s grateful to be alive after Tesla catches fire near California highway

A father said he is thankful to be alive after his Tesla caught fire while he was driving near a California highway. "It's just all gone," Bishal Malla said. "I'm just so lucky to be alive."Malla said he had been out running errands nearby and was about to get on Highway 99 in Northern California when he felt his car start shaking. He thought it might be a flat tire, he said."The moment that I opened the door, I saw smoke coming from the bottom," he said.Malla said he had seen reports about Tesla fires, so he quickly got out of the vehicle and called 911.The smoke, he said, quickly turned into large flames. He said he was acutely aware, however, of the two empty car seats in the back."I was about to go home, take the family and the kids, and go to a party," he said. Malla said it was hard not to wonder how this could have been different if his family had been in the vehicle at the time of the fire, remembering the extra minutes it takes to get the children out of their seats."I'm just speechless right now," he said. Battalion Chief Robert Kasparian, of the Cosumnes Fire Department in Northern California, said the best practice right now for firefighters battling an electric vehicle fire is to let it burn. "The issue with the electric vehicles is access to the batteries," he said. "The batteries are what are causing the enormous amount of heat buildup. A lot of times fire departments will just let the vehicle burn until it’s down to the point where they can actually access the batteries and put water or firefighting foam on the batteries themselves."He said, anecdotally, that the department seemed to have seen an increase in electric vehicle fires, adding that they can be challenging for first responders. He said electric vehicle fires often require longer response times, a lot of water and additional resources to watch the vehicle to ensure the fire doesn’t reignite after the vehicle is towed away.Kasparian said it was unclear to fire crews on the scene what exactly caused this fire. While fires from electric vehicles are harder to put out, an analysis of federal data by AutoinsuranceEZ in 2022 found that hybrid and gas vehicles are more likely to catch fire than electric vehicles. There were 3,474 fires per 100,000 in sales for hybrids, compared to 1,529 for gas vehicles and 25 for electric. Malla said he was working with his insurance company but did not plan to buy another electric vehicle in the future following his experience. Sister station KCRA has reached out to Tesla for comment.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A father said he is thankful to be alive after his Tesla caught fire while he was driving near a California highway.

"It's just all gone," Bishal Malla said. "I'm just so lucky to be alive."

Malla said he had been out running errands nearby and was about to get on Highway 99 in Northern California when he felt his car start shaking. He thought it might be a flat tire, he said.

"The moment that I opened the door, I saw smoke coming from the bottom," he said.

Malla said he had seen reports about Tesla fires, so he quickly got out of the vehicle and called 911.

The smoke, he said, quickly turned into large flames. He said he was acutely aware, however, of the two empty car seats in the back.

"I was about to go home, take the family and the kids, and go to a party," he said.

Malla said it was hard not to wonder how this could have been different if his family had been in the vehicle at the time of the fire, remembering the extra minutes it takes to get the children out of their seats.

"I'm just speechless right now," he said.

Battalion Chief Robert Kasparian, of the Cosumnes Fire Department in Northern California, said the best practice right now for firefighters battling an electric vehicle fire is to let it burn.

"The issue with the electric vehicles is access to the batteries," he said. "The batteries are what are causing the enormous amount of heat buildup. A lot of times fire departments will just let the vehicle burn until it’s down to the point where they can actually access the batteries and put water or firefighting foam on the batteries themselves."

He said, anecdotally, that the department seemed to have seen an increase in electric vehicle fires, adding that they can be challenging for first responders. He said electric vehicle fires often require longer response times, a lot of water and additional resources to watch the vehicle to ensure the fire doesn’t reignite after the vehicle is towed away.

Kasparian said it was unclear to fire crews on the scene what exactly caused this fire.

While fires from electric vehicles are harder to put out, that hybrid and gas vehicles are more likely to catch fire than electric vehicles. There were 3,474 fires per 100,000 in sales for hybrids, compared to 1,529 for gas vehicles and 25 for electric.

Malla said he was working with his insurance company but did not plan to buy another electric vehicle in the future following his experience.

has reached out to Tesla for comment.

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