Two dead after Tesla crashes into tree, bursts into flames in Claremont

Two people were killed in a fiery crash in Claremont early Monday morning when a Tesla slammed into a tree. 

The crash happened at around 2:10 a.m. on E. Sixth Street near Mills Avenue, according to the Claremont Police Department. Crews arrived and found the Tesla had crashed into a tree on the side of the road and burst into flames. 

A hazardous materials team was also called to the scene to handle the fire due to the car's lithium batteries, crews said. 

"The toxic fumes and gases that come off those battery packs are flammable and extremely toxic," San Bernardino County Fire Department Captain Shawn Millerick said. "The engine behind us typically carries 500 gallons of water. We're going to need 10 times that."

After extinguishing the fire, crews found the driver and a passenger dead inside. Relatives of Rasheed Bledsoe identified him as the passenger who died. 

"He was a people's person. Everybody loved him," sister Bridgette Bledsoe said. "Anyone who came into contact with him, he acted like he knew you for 25 years."

The car has since been removed from the area as evidence, police said. They also noted that the stretch of road where the crash occurred, which runs through the five Claremont Colleges, has only had one other crash in the past.