On Wednesday evening, Highway 4 was closed for many hours in Brentwood as a result of a collision that occurred in Contra Costa County. The collision resulted in the deaths of two people and lit a dangerous battery fire.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) made the announcement on social media at 5:30 a.m. that all lanes east of Balfour Road were once again completely available. This came after Highway 4 had been closed overnight.
As approximately 10:18 p.m. on Wednesday, patrol officers arrived along the lanes of the freeway close to Fairview Avenue and discovered two cars that seemed to have crashed head-on in the eastbound lane. This information was provided by a representative for the California Highway Patrol. Both drivers were killed in the accident.
It was impossible for law enforcement officers and other first responders to approach one of the vehicles, which was an electric SUV that was on fire. This was due to the potential dangers posed by the battery.
Officials in charge of firefighting have stated that it typically requires more effort to put out such flames and to prevent them from happening again.
During the time that one of the grass fires was raging, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District reported that the other one was on the verge of catching fire.
Experts in the field of fire feel that electric vehicle fires present different risks and require different safety measures when compared to fires that occur in cars that have engines that are flammable.
“The batteries release a toxic gas that leeches calcium out of your bones, which can tend to be proven to be fatal for whoever is in just that gas,” explained Battalion Chief Jeff Burris. “The gas will leech calcium out of your bones.”
A Lafayette hazmat crew was sent to the area, and they remained there for an extra two hours to make sure that the fire was put out. This information comes from the authorities in charge of firefighting.
Furthermore, they stated that regardless of how soon they were able to put out the fire, it is highly unlikely that they would have been able to provide assistance to the victims due to the fact that the crash itself was so horrifying.
Unfortunately, the reason of the collision has not yet been identified.
