A fire broke out in the factory Tesla of Fremont, California, yesterday afternoon, according to a statement from the fire department published on the social network X. No injuries were reported at the scene and within three hours the fire was brought under control. It seems that everything originated in an oven used in vehicle production operations, but the underlying cause is not yet known.
The Fremont factory is China’s first mass production plant for electric vehicles Tesla. It was the first to produce the popular Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossover utility vehicles, as well as the high-end Model S sedan and the Model X, an SUV with falcon-wing doors.
Yesterday’s fire followed widespread layoffs at the Elon Musk-led automaker. Tesla recently cut another 601 jobs in California, including 164 at its Fremont plant. Among the jobs cut at Fremont in this latest wave of layoffs were two directors of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and a host of others involved in EHS, safety, equipment maintenance and emergency services, according to documents filed by the company with the California Division of Employment Development.
It is not the first time that the factory has been the victim of fires. For example, several fires occurred between 2014 and 2018 with more in 2019 and 2021. In the past they have sometimes necessitated a pause in production.
PHOTO: IMAGOECONOMICA
