A Tesla Semi caught fire on Interstate 880 in Hayward, California, on the evening of Tuesday 27 October 2026, and there was no crash. The driver got out unhurt and no other vehicle was involved. The battery fire kept the southbound freeway closed for about 10 hours.
The driver told California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers that the truck had caught fire and that they did not know why. Neither the CHP nor Tesla has named a cause, and Tesla has not commented.
What happened, hour by hour
| Time (local, 27–28 Oct) | Event |
|---|---|
| about 17:35 | Fire breaks out in the southbound lanes near Route 92 |
| about 17:45 | CHP closes both directions between Winton Avenue and Route 92 |
| about 20:40 | Northbound lanes reopen |
| about 03:30 | All southbound lanes reopen, roughly 10 hours after the fire began |
CHP Hayward announced the full closure on X, citing "the potential risk of hazardous chemical smoke". It told motorists at one point that the southbound closure could last 15 to 18 hours. According to NBC Bay Area, as quoted by Teslarati, the CHP said the truck's lithium-ion battery was "incredibly difficult to extinguish". Crews beat the estimate, and the freeway was fully open before the morning rush.
Which truck it was
Neither Tesla nor the operator has identified the truck. Videos posted on X show a red-and-orange cab, which Not a Tesla App and Drive Tesla identify as one of the Frito-Lay Semis that Tesla has been delivering to PepsiCo since late 2022. They and Teslarati say it looks like the original Semi design, not the refreshed truck that Tesla now builds in volume in Nevada. The CHP's photos from the scene show the front of the trailer behind the tractor charred as well.
The second Semi fire to close a California interstate
In August 2024 a Tesla-operated Semi burned on Interstate 80 near Emigrant Gap. That one began with a crash: the National Transportation Safety Board found that the truck had left the road on a curve and hit a delineator post and a tree before its battery ignited. Firefighters used about 50,000 US gallons of water, roughly 190,000 litres, and lanes stayed closed for up to 15 hours.
Hayward is different because nothing hit anything. Investigators will therefore look at the truck itself: the battery pack, the high-voltage system, or an ordinary tyre or brake fire that spread to the tractor. Electrek puts the event in proportion: according to the US National Fire Protection Association, American fire departments attended an average of 15,462 large-truck fires a year between 2018 and 2022, in a fleet that is overwhelmingly diesel. But the Semi fleet is small, and that makes one fire without a crash a meaningful data point.
Why European hauliers will want the answer
The Semi is coming to Europe. Tesla published the European specification in September: 550 km of range at 40 tonnes and up to 800 kW charging. Customer deliveries are set for 2027, and a Swiss haulier, Käppeli Logistik, has already ordered one.
Fleet buyers and fire services on both sides of the Atlantic will want to know whether the pack failed on its own or whether a conventional fault spread to it. If the truck really is an early design, the cause will also show whether the series-production trucks Tesla began handing over in September share the problem. TeslAnt will update this article when the CHP, Tesla or federal investigators give one.