Toxic fumes from burning Teslas are delaying LA wildfire recovery efforts
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Efforts to cleanup areas of LA devastated by wildfires are being delayed by burning Teslas and other electric cars emitting toxic fumes. The vehicles have lithium-ion batteries that when burned release harmful gases and toxic chemicals into the air that can cause serious health issues.
![[LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 15: An interior view of burnt Tesla car after Palisade Fire has caused destruction in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, United States on January 15, 2025. (Photo by Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236148917-4763.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
According to a report in Bloomberg the batteries will need to be removed by specialists and until that’s done it’s not safe for people to return to their homes. Jacqui Irwin, a state assembly member representing the Pacific Palisades, one of the worst affected areas, told the publication that there were several burnt or burning electric cars in the evacuation zone.
![[Remains of Tesla electric car, destroyed by the Palisades Fire, are seen as the moon sets on the horizon at the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 13, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235861401-6228.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘We’ve heard from firefighters that those lithium batteries burned fires near homes—like those with power walls—for much longer,’ she said. Lithium-ion battery fires can take up to 40 times longer to extinguish than standard car fires, The Conversation reports.
![[This image from video shows flames rising after a major fire erupted Thursday afternoon at the Moss Landing Power Plant, located about 77 miles (about 124 kilometers) south of San Francisco, Thursday, Jan.16, 2025. (KSBW via AP)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236292245-1656.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
There were over 431,000 Teslas in LA as of October 2024, according to data from S&P Global Mobility. New registration figures suggest the area has the biggest market share of Teslas in the whole of the US. Concerns over EV battery fumes in LA come as one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities was consumed by a massive fire near San Francisco, in northern California.
Vistra Corp’s 3000-megawatt Moss Landing energy storage facility – over 300 miles from the LA wildfires in southern California -went up in flames on Thursday. Officials say the best solution is to let the lithium-ion facility continue to burn, even as it releases toxic fumes into the air.
