A fire broke out today at one of the production facilities of Chinese power battery giant CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) in Ningde city, Fujian province, where the company is headquartered.
The incident, which occurred at CATL’s production base Z, is considered a rare event in the battery manufacturing sector. According to reports from local media outlet Cailian, the fire started around 11:00 am Beijing time and had not been completely extinguished as of 2:40 pm.
Witnesses at the scene reported that firefighters were on site shortly after the fire started, and staff were promptly evacuated from the facility. No injuries have been reported, according to information from the Ningde city’s Emergency Management Bureau.
Despite the rapid response by firefighters, the flames continued to burn into the afternoon. Another local media source, 21jingji, cited witnesses from nearby businesses who confirmed that around a dozen fire trucks were deployed to tackle the blaze.
One witness, who works at a grocery store near the facility, said the fire broke out between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, and the smell of smoke was detectable by 12:30 pm. The scale of the fire appeared significant, according to a staff member at a nearby restaurant, who noted the intense smell of burning materials.
CATL, the world’s largest producer of power batteries, supplies key automakers, including Tesla, Nio, and Li Auto. It remains unclear which specific products were being manufactured at the Ningde facility or who the primary customers of this production site are. Further details regarding the extent of the damage and the potential impact on CATL’s operations have not yet been released.
Source: Cnevpost.com
