Sacramento Metro Fire crews called to another Tesla fire — this one was being dismantled

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews had their hands full after a Tesla electric vehicle caught fire while being dismantled Wednesday in Rancho Cordova.

No one was injured, but it was the latest fire in the capital region involving the popular vehicle, which carries a large lithium ion battery pack on its underside.

According to Metro firefighters, crews were called to a high-end auto dismantler on the 3600 block of Recycle Road just before 5 p.m.

When crews arrived, they found the black Tesla Model S, which had been lifted on a rack, in flames. The vehicle had been involved in a collision several months ago and had been sitting idle when it “spontaneously caught fire.”

Firefighters were “unable to move it to a safe location to burn out,” and firefighters were hampered by the vehicle being blocked in by “millions of dollars in salvaged vehicles including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys.”

The fire, which took more than an hour to put out, remains under investigation.

Similar “spontaneous” fires have been reported across the capital region in the past year.

Similar “spontaneous” fires have been reported across the capital region in the past year, including a Tesla that caught fire on Highway 99 in May, a Tesla that burst into flames on Highway 50 in January and a Tesla that reignited multiple times in a wrecking yard last year.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 8:15 AM.