Tesla facing probe over potential deadly defect to popular Model Y cars A Tesla Model S “spontaneously” caught fire on a California highway over the weekend, forcing firefighters to use some 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames, authorities said. Sacramento Metro Fire reported that the electric vehicle burst into flames after 4 p.m. Saturday while traveling eastbound at freeway speeds on Highway 50 in the area of Rancho Cordova. According to officials, “nothing unusual” happened before the Tesla’s battery compartment “spontaneously caught fire.” Two fire engines, a water tender and a ladder truck were called to assist during the fiery incident, which shut down two lanes of traffic. Responding fire crews used jacks to access the underside of the car and put out the flames and cool the battery — a process that ended up requiring 6,000 gallons of water because the lithium-ion battery cells continued to combust. Firefighters had to use 6,000 gallons of water to extinguish the battery fire, resulting in the closing of two traffic lanes Saturday. Twitter/Metro Fire of Sacramento