Overview

• A wrong-way head-on collision on Highway 4 near Fairview Avenue in Brentwood Wednesday night killed both drivers involved.
• One of the vehicles was an electric SUV, whose battery ignited on impact, releasing toxic fluoride gas and complicating rescue efforts.
• A hazmat team from Lafayette monitored the hazardous gas while fire crews extinguished the battery fire overnight.
• Highway 4 was closed in both directions between Balfour and Marsh Creek roads for 7.5 hours, reopening around 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
• The California Highway Patrol is actively investigating the cause of the crash and the circumstances of the battery fire.