A Tesla went up in flames on I-280 in Daly City early this morning, shutting down parts of the freeway in both directions and turning thousands of commuters' mornings into an exercise in patience they didn't sign up for.

The vehicle was fully engulfed by the time first responders arrived shortly after 6 AM. The driver reportedly made it out okay — which is the important part — but the aftermath was anything but quick. Both directions of 280 were impacted as crews worked to manage a fire that, if you know anything about EV battery fires, doesn't exactly go out like a campfire you can stomp on. These lithium-ion blazes burn hot, burn long, and require specialized response.

One Bay Area commuter who got caught in the mess wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic: "I was stopped in traffic for 45 minutes this morning. All the first responders were put at risk for dealing with this, to say nothing of having to close both directions of 280. How fast do you have to be driving to flip your car over?"

Fair question. Details on what caused the crash remain thin, but the incident raises a point worth tracking. As one local put it, early studies showed EVs catching fire at roughly 1/10th to 1/25th the rate of gas-powered cars — but those numbers were based on relatively new vehicles. "I wonder how that number has been changing as they get older," they noted. It's a legitimate concern as California's EV fleet ages and the state continues pushing everyone toward electric.

Here's what we do know: when an EV battery fire happens, it's a significantly more resource-intensive event for fire departments. That means more taxpayer-funded equipment, more hazmat protocols, and more risk for the crews responding. San Francisco and surrounding cities need to be investing in training and equipment for these incidents now — not after the next freeway shutdown.

The driver walked away. The commute didn't. And the bill for the response lands, as always, on the rest of us.