After Bishal Malla’s Tesla caught fire in May 2023, he says “I’m just so lucky to be alive.” Malla was about to get onto Highway 99 in California when his Tesla began shaking. He initially thought that he had a flat tire. “The moment that I opened the door, I saw smoke coming from the bottom,” he said. He called 911 as he watched his vehicle burst into flames. Malla watched as his vehicle burned with two empty car seats in the back of his car.  “I’m just speechless right now,” he said. “I was about to go home, take the family and the kids, and go to a party. If this had happened 30 minutes later, my whole family would be in there,” he wrote on Reddit. 

The story doesn’t end here. Malla contacted Tesla’s Customer service department hoping for answers. “One agent I talked to had an audacity to tell me to take my fully burned Tesla to the Tesla recommended servicing center,” Malla said on Reddit. “How in the world am I going to do that?”

Thermal Runaway can occur even after a vehicle has been extinguished. EVs can catch fire up to a month later making them difficult to store. Many EVs are being placed into larger dumpsters and then covered in water and sand as they wait out that 30 day time frame. This is not only costly, it’s a challenge. Perhaps Bishal Malla can ask the tow yard to drop off the dumpster where the Tesla is being stored to their nearest service center. Maybe then they will respond to his request for answers.

The question for every fire department now is, Are You Ready for an EV Fire? It’s not a matter of if, but when.  Make sure you are prepared to contain and control the fire with Fire Cloak USA.