Fire outbreak at Tesla’s Fremont facility

Fire broke out at Tesla’s Fremont, California facility, late Thursday afternoon. Although firefighters responded on time, the fire wasn’t contained until hours later, according to Fremont Fire Department.

The fire department said no Tesla staff or firefighters were injured during the outbreak. In a statement, the department said “the deep-seated fire was contained to a vehicle manufacturing stamping machine.” The city’s firefighters and Tesla’s Fire Response Team, worked together to contain the fire within a few hours.

The fire reportedly broke out in a part of the facility that is currently under construction. The Fremont facility is Tesla’s primary U.S. vehicle assembly plant. A second one is being built in Austin, Texas. Tesla makes its Model 3 sedan, Model Y crossover SUV, and Model S and X electric vehicles in Fremont.

Before the fire outbreak yesterday, the EV assembling plant was shut down for at least two days due to shortage of parts, according to CEO Elon Musk.

The Fremont factory has a history of costly fire outbreaks, including multiple fires at its paint shop.

According to the company’s fourth-quarter filing with the SEC, Tesla was issued “notices of violation” from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District about air permitting and compliance for the Fremont factory.

“The EPA is reviewing the compliance of our Fremont Factory operations with applicable requirements under Clean Air Act, and we are working with the EPA in responding its requests for information,” Tesla said in the filing.

As of Thursday evening, the firefighting team managed to bring the fire under control, with fire engines and a truck remaining at the factory to further monitor the situation. Although Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the cause of the fire was determined to be “molten aluminum and hydraulic fluid.”