Late-night Tesla Model Y fire closes I-65; Autaugaville US-82 delays

Pine Level firefighters and multiple volunteer companies battled a Tesla Model Y that erupted in flames on Interstate 65 late Monday after crews were dispatched at 11:14 p.m. Troopers shut down that portion of I-65 while crews worked; responders said it took more than an hour to bring the blaze under control and the driver was not hurt.

Responding apparatus counts included three engines, two rescues, one ambulance, four water tankers, one squad, one brush truck and three command vehicles. Departments on scene or called to assist were Pine Level, Marbury, Booth, Independence, White City, Old Kingston and Verbena volunteer fire departments, with Haynes Ambulance also listed among responding agencies. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers, Autauga County Emergency Management Agency, Alabama Department of Transportation and the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office were involved in traffic control and scene support.

Local reports put total water used at roughly 36,000 gallons to extinguish the electric vehicle fire. FireRescue1 and local television coverage said two hose lines were deployed and that more than an hour of sustained firefighting was required. Pine Level Fire Department posted on its Facebook page: “This was a first for Autauga County. Electric vehicle fires are unusual and present unique challenges and dangers to firefighters.”

Coverage of the incident highlighted specific EV hazards cited by Pine Level and by reporting: “These vehicles can reignite hours or days after they are first extinguished,” and fire conditions can be extreme, with burn temperatures reported as exceeding 2500 degrees C. Reports also warned that smoke from burning electric cars produces hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen chloride gases — “both of which are toxic to breathe and require firefighters to wear breathing apparatus.”

Separately, an Alabama Department of Transportation traffic alert registered “A vehicle fire on US82 at CR21 in Autaugaville caused moderate delays before being cleared.” The ALDOT alert did not include a timestamp in the public excerpt, and the available incident reports do not explicitly reconcile whether the US-82/CR21 alert referred to the same event as the Tesla fire on I-65 or to a distinct vehicle fire in Autaugaville.

Other Autauga County traffic incidents reported around the same period are distinct from the I-65 Tesla fire. A two-vehicle crash on Alabama 14 west of Prattville involved a commercial fuel truck carrying an estimated 9,000 gallons and left Karlos D. Golson Jr., 33, of Autaugaville, dead, with the truck driver escaping uninjured; Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating that collision near the 144 mile marker. Another separate Alabama 14 head-on collision near the 142 mile marker was reported to have killed two occupants, Carolina Cason and Alyssa Taylor, in syndicated dispatches.

For confirmation of scene details, apparatus counts, water usage totals and official incident numbers, contact Pine Level Fire Department, Autauga County EMA, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and ALDOT traffic operations.