California father says he’s grateful to be alive after Tesla catches fire near Highway 99

By Lee Anne Denyer

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — An Elk Grove father said he is thankful to be alive after his Tesla caught fire Saturday while he was driving.

“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 near Cosumnes River Boulevard 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, 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.

KCRA 3 has reached out to Tesla for comment.

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