NAPLES — A 33-year-old Harrison man has been identified as the driver killed in a single-vehicle crash on Route 35 on Thursday morning.
The driver, whom police identified as Sergei Kolesnik, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kolesnik was operating a 2024 Tesla Model Y when it crashed into a tree at high speed and caught fire, police said.
Several emergency crews were cleaning up battery debris from the crash site.
When the car crashed, the battery exploded and debris scattered over several hundred yards, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Estabrook said. Police said this caused multiple spot fires, and fire and EMS responders worked for hours to keep the fire from spreading to the woods and a nearby home.
The Sebago Fire Department said the department’s battery fire blanket was requested to extinguish the fire, Chief Philip Strike said.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash. Harrison Road was expected to stay closed for several hours between the southern end of Lewis Road in Naples and the northern end of Lewis Road in Harrison, police said.
The Sheriff’s Office said the crash caused a “significant hazard” for residents and first responders “due to the vehicle involved and complexity of the crash scene.”
Multiple agencies responded to the crash, including Naples, Casco, Sebago and Bridgton fire departments and the Department of Environmental Protection.
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