An unoccupied Waymo autonomous vehicle caught fire in San Francisco after driving over a firework on Saturday night, July 4, 2026. The incident occurred near the 1200 block of Connecticut Street amid citywide holiday traffic gridlock and illegal fireworks displays.
The company stated that no passengers were inside the driverless car at the time of the incident, and local authorities reported no injuries. Emergency crews and company representatives quickly responded to manage the situation.
“An unoccupied vehicle drove over a small firework in the street and caught fire,” a Waymo spokesperson said Sunday. “No one was in the vehicle and there are no injuries reported. We coordinated with the SF Fire Department and local authorities to safely remove the vehicle from the scene.”
A separate incident captured on social media showed smoke and sparks near another Waymo vehicle that drove into a lit firework while carrying passengers. Additional online posts documented multiple driverless cars stopped in traffic, including one vehicle being loaded onto a tow truck.
Local resident Andy Nikolaeff told the San Francisco Chronicle that a line of Waymo vehicles blocked traffic at Lake and Arguello streets behind a disabled robotaxi without attempting to bypass it.
“Behind them was a huge line of cars snaking far into the Presidio,” Nikolaeff said. “They were slowly figuring out that the Waymos weren’t moving and overtaking them one by one, but this definitely contributed to the backup.”
Company officials attributed the operational disruptions in the northern section of San Francisco to severe traffic volume across the city.
“In coordination with local authorities and emergency services, our roadside assistance team worked quickly to clear our vehicles from the area,” the Waymo spokesperson said. “Our team is always evaluating ways to strengthen Waymo’s resilience in major traffic disruptions.”
The holiday disruptions occurred during widespread transportation delays across San Francisco, where fog obscured the Golden Gate Bridge fireworks and heavily congested municipal streets.
The city’s transit agency, Muni, warned that unprecedented crowds caused significant delays, while San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a video statement addressing the traffic conditions.
“It’s going to take a while for these clogged streets to empty out,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video address.
Public complaints on social media highlighted long transit waits and blocked streets, with several residents specifically noting stopped Waymo vehicles contributing to the congestion.