The freeway reopened Wednesday morning after hazardous-smoke concerns forced officials to halt traffic during the evening commute.
HAYWARD, Calif. — All lanes of Interstate 880 reopened Wednesday morning after a Tesla Semi caught fire in Hayward during the Tuesday evening commute, prompting authorities to close both directions of the busy East Bay freeway because of concerns about hazardous smoke.
The fire was reported at about 5:35 p.m. Tuesday in the southbound lanes near the interchange with Highway 92, according to the California Highway Patrol. Within minutes, authorities had stopped traffic in both directions between Winton Avenue and Highway 92 as emergency crews responded to the burning electric truck. No injuries were reported, and officials said the cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday.
The closure quickly became a major traffic disruption on one of the East Bay’s principal north-south routes. Northbound lanes remained closed for roughly three hours before reopening around 8:40 p.m. Southbound traffic faced a much longer interruption as crews continued dealing with the truck and its burning lithium-ion battery.
Southbound lanes were fully reopened around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the CHP, ending a closure that stretched through much of the night. During the response, southbound motorists were diverted at Winton Avenue, and officials warned of severe delays as traffic backed up around the closed section of freeway.
The truck’s driver told officers that the vehicle had caught fire but did not know what caused it, according to reports citing the CHP. Authorities had not announced evidence of a collision involving another vehicle, and no other injuries were reported. Investigators had not released a preliminary cause by Wednesday morning.
The nature of the battery fire complicated the response. Officials said the truck’s lithium-ion battery posed a potential smoke hazard and could take many hours to cool or burn out sufficiently for the scene to be cleared. The CHP initially warned Tuesday evening that the southbound closure could last well into Wednesday as crews worked around the damaged vehicle.
The incident affected traffic near the Highway 92 interchange, a major connection between Interstate 880 and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. Closing both sides of I-880 during the evening commute forced traffic onto surrounding roads and alternate freeway routes while emergency crews occupied the scene.
By Wednesday morning, the immediate transportation emergency had ended and traffic was again moving in both directions. The focus had shifted to determining why the electric semitruck caught fire and whether investigators could identify what happened before flames developed.
Authorities had not released additional findings about the cause as of Wednesday morning. The CHP said no injuries were reported, and all Interstate 880 lanes in the area had returned to service.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.