The Seattle-area fire department that extinguished the Tesla Model S blaze after the car crashed into some debris released more details tonight on the fire, saying a battery pack at the front of the car was burning and adding water made the flames worse.
The following reports from the Kent, Washington Regional Fire Authority published by International Business Times and corroborated by the Associated Press confirm what a Tesla spokeswoman told Jalopnik about the crash, which occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday on State Route 167.
According to the report, firefighters arrived at the scene and found the car ablaze with an apparent "engine compartment fire," which they then extinguished. When they broke a window to gain access, the fire re-ignited.
"The application of water seemed to intensify the fire activity," the report said.
Firefighters ended up putting out the blaze with dry chemical extinguisher. When they took apart the front end, they found a battery pack still burning. The firefighter "had to puncture multiple holes in the pack to apply water to the burning material in the battery," the report said. Firefighters also used a jack and cut into the frame of the car to spray water on the pack.
Despite achieving a safety rating that was literally off the scale this summer, this fire is at credited — along with a downgrade by R.W. Baird. — with causing Tesla stock to sink more than 6 percent today.
More on this as we get it.
Photos credit Petrus Breedt/IB Times