LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – The lithium-ion batteries in a 2025 Tesla Model Y complicated first responders’ efforts to save a person involved in a fiery electrical vehicle crash, officials in Torrance announced Wednesday.
The single-vehicle collision, according to a news release from the Torrance Police Department, occurred Jan. 28 at around 10:15 p.m. at the intersection of Madrona Avenue and Plaza Del Amo.
At the scene, police found the Tesla fully engulfed in flames after the motorist, traveling southbound on Madrona Avenue, for unknown reasons swerved to the right and collided with a traffic signal pole.
“Officers made valiant efforts to gain access to the vehicle,” the release noted. “However, due to the intensity of the flames and heat, they were unable to rescue the occupant.”
Crews with the Torrance Fire Department also responded to the scene and attempted to extinguish the blaze.
“Their efforts were complicated by challenges associated with the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries,” police said.
The driver, who has yet to be identified, succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
The intersection, between Carson Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, was closed for about five hours while traffic investigators gathered evidence.
This is not the first time lithium-ion batteries have posed a problem for first responders.
In September 2024, an overturned big rig in San Pedro carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries sparked a massive fire that disrupted port operations and created a traffic nightmare with the closure of a freeway for nearly two days.
One of the damaged batteries in that crash also exploded, causing what LAFD Cpt. Adam Van Gerpen called “thermal runaway” where flames were shooting up about five to ten feet.
The fatal crash in Torrance remains under investigation and the Torrance Police Department urges anyone with information about the collision to contact the department’s traffic division at 310-618-5557.
