A fire broke out at Rivian’s automotive factory in Normal, Illinois, over the weekend, damaging an undisclosed number of vehicles in the parking lot. The blaze did not reach the main facility, and no injuries were reported, according to company and fire department sources.
On Saturday evening, local news reported that the fire spread to an unspecified number of Rivian’s electric vehicles (EVs) parked near the factory. While the vehicles were severely damaged, the factory building itself remained unaffected.
‼️Uhh this is NOT good… This must have just happened….. 😳😳 #rivian #rivianfire ‼️
@ Rivian Normal IL Plant
Hopefully everyone is ok! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NsfACloz6o
— Zach (@EVguyZach) August 25, 2024
“We are investigating the cause of a fire that damaged a number of vehicles in a parking lot at our Normal plant late Saturday night,” a Rivian spokesperson told Teslarati. “The plant itself is unaffected. At this time, we are not aware of any injuries.”
The Normal Fire Department was called to the scene at 9:43 p.m. on Saturday. Fire department spokesperson Matt Swaney confirmed that the fire had been extinguished and that an investigation into the cause is ongoing. “There are no reports of injuries, either to firefighters or Rivian’s employees,” Swaney added.
The incident, captured on camera by Sergei Lebedev and later shared on social media, occurred just days after Rivian received approval from the Normal Town Council to expand the facility. The expansion is intended to prepare for the production of the upcoming R2 platform, which Rivian has moved to Illinois after pausing construction on a new plant in Georgia. The company has also temporarily halted production of its Electric Delivery Vehicles (EDVs) at the Illinois factory due to a parts shortage, though the duration of the pause remains unclear.
