By Brandi Makuski
PLOVER — A Tesla caught fire Monday afternoon along I-39 near mile marker 154 after striking a guardrail, prompting a multi-hour response from the Plover Fire Department and a temporary northbound lane closure.
Plover Fire Chief Mark Deaver said law enforcement was already on scene for the crash when the vehicle ignited as it was being towed off the guardrail.
(Metro Wire photo)
(Metro Wire photo)
“The car accident happened. Law enforcement was there. He refused any medical treatment,” Deaver said. The driver was transported from the scene by other means. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters were paged around 12:15 p.m., and the fire was largely under control by about 1:30 p.m., but crews remained for several hours because the battery entered thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that continues to burn inside the cells.
“There’s little else we can do except let it burn out,” Deaver said.
Crews applied water mainly to protect the roadway and surrounding area.
“The flames were going across the interstate,” Deaver said.
He estimated firefighters used about 2,000 gallons of water.
Because electric vehicle batteries can reignite within 24 to 48 hours, the vehicle was hauled away in a dumpster-style container and placed in a concrete containment area away from other vehicles and structures for monitoring.
Firefighters also called in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spill team due to runoff concerns near the Little Plover River.
“We called for DNR for the spill team, because of the runoff. We didn’t want that runoff to be going into the Little Plover River,” Deaver said.
As part of the Portage County hazardous materials team, crews built small barriers to keep contaminated water out of storm drains.
“We can dam, dike, divert,” Deaver said. “We used oil dry and cleared areas to make little dams.”
Those temporary barriers slowed or stopped water from reaching the drainage system while the spill was documented and cleanup arranged, he said.
Plover police said sheriff’s deputies temporarily closed one northbound lane during the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
