Two killed in Cumberland crash; firefighters exposed to dangerous battery fire

Updated Friday, August. 21

CUMBERLAND – Fire Chief Nicholas Anderson said Friday that a lithium ion battery fire as part of Thursday’s fatal crash response on Route 295 was the reason for all the white smoke and that it put local firefighters in danger from toxic fumes.

The initial responders to the fire did not have the right protective gear on, he told The Local Insider, as it wasn’t clear at that point what they were dealing with.

Anderson said their ladder truck only has two firefighters on it, so he joined in on the direct response. He confirmed that he was exposed to the dangerous smoke as well. One firefighter was transported to Landmark Medical Center for blood exposure, and Anderson was treated at the scene by Lincoln Rescue.

The chief said the initial response was for extrication, and he called for an additional Cumberland engine and Lincoln extrication units when he heard of two patients needing to be extracted.

The white vehicle driven across the median and into the driver of a black Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was an electric Hyundai Ionic, said the chief, and it broke through the safety cable on the northbound side of the highway before colliding head-on with the truck. The person in the white vehicle was immediately determined to be “non-viable” and no longer living due to the force of the collision.

It was subsequently determined from the smoke condition that there was thermal runaway of a lithium ion battery, which means that the car’s battery had ignited due to being jolted from a collision and cells were “starting to lose control, so to speak,” said Anderson.

That heavy white smoke starting at point of ignition at 200 degrees is from heavy metal, said the chief, and it’s cancer-causing. They set up fans that they would normally use in a house fire to blow the smoke away from responders, which is why a lot of smoke was visible in the air.

Those initial crews had no respiratory protection, said Anderson, and “that is a serious concern.”

He said they started with cooling the vehicle and getting firefighters into respiratory gear, called in Woonsocket’s hazardous materials response team, and used an electric vehicle blanket to help control the fire.

After notifying State Police of what they were going to do, they took photos and removed the body, he said. The rest of the incident was mitigating the battery situation, he added.

“The car couldn’t be transported off the highway until we had that fire at least in control enough to do so, which required a tremendous amount of water and special foam to handle the lithium ion batteries, which Lincoln and Woonsocket had on the truck,” he said, adding that due to the amount of water needed, they also called in tankers from Plainville, North Smithfield tanker, and Millville.

After safely extinguishing the flames, they sent a Cumberland crew with Shea Towing to the town line, then a Lincoln one to the junk yard, all to make sure the car didn’t ignite again. The car was also to be placed safely at the junk yard where it would not pose an additional risk.

The pickup truck driver died at Rhode Island Hospital after being transported by Cumberland paramedics, said Anderson, while the other driver was dead on arrival.

According to Anderson, grief counseling and peer support will be available to responders on Monday.

He said he was satisfied with and proud of the work done by local responders.

The driver of the Hyundai Ionic was identified as 29-year-old Joel Costa, of Boston, and the driver of the pickup truck was identified as 44-year-old Jonathan Welch of Norton.

State Police said multiple witnesses described Costa as driving recklessly, speeding, and overtaking other vehicles. Both drivers were extricated before the Hyundai fully burst into flames.

The investigation is ongoing, but police said the initial information revealed that Costa’s speeding and losing control of his vehicle caused the collision. Neither man was wearing a seat belt.

Original story

Update: Route 295 reopened around 6:45 p.m.

CUMBERLAND – A fatal crash on Route 295 north in Cumberland Thursday afternoon has killed multiple people, public safety officials have confirmed.

Officials confirmed two fatalities. Victims were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital.

Vehicles were still on fire after 4:30 p.m. following the crash, and the State Medical Examiner was called in to investigate. That entire side of the highway was shut down, and police were helping drivers cross the median to go south, and also detouring everyone at numerous exits nearby in all other directions.

It was a grim scene passing by, with barely recognizable vehicles. Multiple drivers and vehicles, including a rolled over truck, were involved.

According to eyewitnesses, someone in a white car traveling southbound crossed the median at a high rate of speed, then went airborne before colliding head-on with the driver of a black pickup truck in the high-speed lane of Route 295 northbound.

Those stuck in the resulting traffic jam were getting out of their vehicles and walking around on the highway.

Residents on Diamond Hill Road saw responders from both ends of town rush up the road and converge at the Route 295 roundabouts as they responded to the scene on the highway.