STAMFORD, Conn. — A Tesla that caught on fire behind a Stamford restaurant Thursday morning burned for nearly an hour before firefighters were able to extinguish it.
Firefighters were called to the Blue Ginger Restaurant on East Main Street in Stamford around 11:18 a.m. Thursday on a report of a car fire.
When they arrived, the vehicle – a battery-powered Tesla – was fully engulfed in flames. Officials said there were other vehicles nearby but the flames did not pose any immediate danger.
In a post on its website, the Stamford Fire Department said electric vehicle fires have been in the news frequently due to the difficulty many departments are having extinguishing them – it was a similar case on Thursday.
Officials said despite Engine Company 4 pouring a total of 600 gallons of water per minute from three different hose lines onto and into the vehicle, it took more than 40 minutes before they were able to declare the fire extinguished.
“A normal car fire usually requires no more than a single hose line,” Deputy Chief Eric Lorenz, the Incident Commander for the fire, said in a statement. “But we know from other fire departments’ experiences that large amounts of water are the only solution when compared to a traditional vehicle fire.”
Tesla catches on fire in Stamford
Officials said despite the nearly hour fight to extinguish the flames, this fire may have been relatively easy to put out compared to some other similar ones because the entire bank of batteries dropped to the ground underneath the vehicle.
“This is no routine car fire,” Chief Lorenz said. “It requires special handling.”
The Stamford Fire Haz Mat Team, Fairfield County Haz Mat Team, Stamford EMS, Stamford Police, and several additional divisions of the Fire Department all responded to the scene.
No injuries – civilian or firefighter – were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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