A Tesla Semi electric truck caught fire on Interstate 880 in Hayward, California, on Tuesday evening, October 27, shutting the freeway in both directions because of the risk of hazardous smoke, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said.
Source: Electric Vehicles / CHP reports
The truck caught fire at about 5:35 p.m. in the southbound lanes near Route 92, and its lithium-ion battery was burning, according to the CHP. A second report of the same incident, published Tuesday night, also placed the fire on southbound I-880 in Hayward shortly before 6 p.m. and said thick black smoke rose from the truck and drifted across the freeway.
Source: Times Now World
What the driver said, and the injuries
The driver told the CHP the truck “simply caught fire” and did not know why. No one was injured, and the cause is under investigation, the CHP said. Tesla had not commented publicly on the fire as of the time the first detailed report was published.
The closure, hour by hour
The CHP closed both directions of I-880 between Winton Avenue and Route 92 by 5:45 p.m. Its Hayward office wrote on X: “A Tesla semi-truck has caught fire on I-880, resulting in a complete shutdown of both northbound and southbound lanes due to the potential risk of hazardous chemical smoke.”
Source: CHP Hayward, via Electric Vehicles
At 7:45 p.m. the CHP said the fire was expected to burn for 15 to 18 hours and that the southbound lanes would stay closed until it was out. The northbound lanes reopened at 8:40 p.m. Later on Tuesday night, the CHP said all southbound lanes remained blocked at Winton Avenue, with traffic diverted to the Winton Avenue off-ramp. It gave no estimated time of reopening and told drivers to expect extreme delays.
Removing the truck could take some time, the CHP told NBC Bay Area, which reported heavy backups in both directions for several hours. Southbound I-880 remained closed between A Street and Highway 92 late on Tuesday, with no estimated time for a full reopening, according to the broadcaster. Photos posted by the CHP show firefighters spraying water and foam on the burned-out cab, which was coupled to a box trailer.
Source: NBC Bay Area, via Electric Vehicles
Battery fires produce dangerous fumes and are very difficult to extinguish, the CHP said. Tesla's own guidance for emergency responders on the Semi describes a lithium-ion battery in a high-voltage system rated at 1,000 volts, tells crews to use large amounts of water to cool the battery enclosure, and warns of possible battery re-ignition. After a fire, responders should monitor the battery's temperature for at least 24 hours, check it again before transport and store the truck outside at least 50 feet from other vehicles and structures, the guide says.
Background: the earlier Semi fire on I-80
This is not the first time a burning Semi has closed a California interstate for most of a day. On August 19, 2024, a previous-generation Semi driven by a Tesla employee from Livermore to a Tesla facility in Sparks, Nevada, left Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap, hit a tree and caught fire, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Firefighters used about 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish that fire and cool the batteries, the westbound lanes were closed for about 14 hours and the eastbound lanes for about 15 hours, CAL FIRE dropped retardant from an aircraft as a precaution, and Tesla sent a technical expert to help assess the high-voltage hazards. The NTSB investigation page still lists its findings as preliminary, with no probable cause issued. Unlike that crash, the Hayward fire happened with no collision reported, and the CHP has not said whether the truck was operated by Tesla or a customer, or what the trailer was carrying.
Why this corridor matters to truckers
I-880 is one of the main freight corridors on the east side of San Francisco Bay, linking the Port of Oakland with San Jose. A full closure in the evening peak therefore hits far more than local commuters: port freight, warehouse traffic and long-haul drivers crossing the Bay Area — including the many Punjabi truckers who work California's freight corridors — face diverted routes and extreme delays while the southbound side stays shut. That is why a single-truck fire, with no injuries, still became a major disruption on Tuesday night.
A month into volume production
The fire comes a month after Tesla began high-volume production of the Semi at a dedicated plant in Sparks designed to build 50,000 trucks a year, according to the detailed report. Tesla first unveiled the truck in November 2017 and delivered its first hand-built units to PepsiCo in December 2022. The Semi is sold in Standard Range and Long Range versions rated at up to 325 miles and 500 miles. None of that, on its own, explains Tuesday's fire — investigators have not given a cause — but it is the context in which more electric heavy trucks are now entering daily freight service, and fire services are still building experience with large battery fires.
What happens next
The cause of the Hayward fire remains under investigation, and the CHP had given no estimated time for a full southbound reopening late on Tuesday. On the CHP's own timeline, the southbound lanes were to stay closed until the fire was out, after which the burned-out truck still had to be removed — a step the CHP told NBC Bay Area could take some time. Drivers using I-880 through Hayward should check the CHP's latest updates before travelling and expect extreme delays on the southbound side until the agency confirms the road is fully open. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the CHP announces a cause or a full reopening time.