A fire broke out earlier this week in Tesla’s battery assembly building at its Giga Berlin plant, temporarily halting production but causing no injuries or environmental damage, local authorities and the company confirmed.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon in a building where battery packs are manufactured. All employees, including those in drive unit assembly, were evacuated as firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish the blaze, according to Handelsblatt.
Tesla told local authorities there had been a “small fire in battery pack production” around 3 p.m. The Oder-Spree district, where the factory is located, said “some battery cells fell from a conveyor belt on the first floor through a shaft into the ground floor.” The fire was limited to these cells within the transport system, it added.
The Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU) said “several stacks” of battery cells fell from the conveyor, affecting 512 cells in total. “That corresponds to about two-thirds of a complete battery pack for a passenger car,” a spokesperson was quoted by Handelsblatt as saying.
Authorities confirmed that no hazardous material leaked outside the facility. The district said firefighting water was “fully contained within the building,” with a specialised cleaning company tasked with removing it. Tesla “took all necessary measures in line with the emergency plan agreed with the local water authority and WSE,” the district added.
Production was immediately stopped following the fire. Handelsblatt reported that drive unit assembly resumed gradually on Tuesday afternoon, while battery pack assembly remained halted. Employees not engaged in production participated in training sessions, including first-aid classes.