Vehicles will pass through the Tesla Inc. assembly plant on Monday, May 11, 2020. in Fremont, California, USA
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty images
Firefighters responded to a “working fire” at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California Thursday afternoon, according to a statement by the Fremont fire department.
No personnel or firefighters were injured, the fire department said.
The fire reportedly occurred in an area of the Tesla facility that is under construction. This is Tesla’s main US vehicle assembly plant. The company is currently building a second in Austin, Texas.
Elon Musk’s electric car company makes its Model 3 sedan, Model Y crossover SUV, and higher-end Model S and X electric vehicles in Fremont.
According to Musk, the Fremont plant was recently shut down for at least two days due to parts shortages.
The plant has a history of costly fires, including multiple paint shop fires, as CNBC has previously reported.
According to Tesla’s fourth quarter filing with the SEC, Tesla has received “notices of violation” from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District regarding air permits and regulatory compliance for the Fremont plant.
“The EPA is assessing compliance of our Fremont Factory operations with applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act, and we are working with the EPA to respond to its requests for information,” Tesla said in the filing.
According to the Fremont Fire Department, “the deep-seated fire was limited to a vehicle manufacturing stamping machine.” City firefighters worked with Tesla’s internal brigade, the Tesla Fire Response Team, to contain the fire within hours.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As of Thursday evening, the fire at the Fremont plant was under control with fire engines and a truck that stayed on site to monitor the situation. The cause of the fire was “molten aluminum and hydraulic fluid”.