As Fire Breaks Out at Tesla Gigafactory Locals are Calling for Production to Stop

By Michael Elkins 

A fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning at Tesla’s (NASDAQ:) Gigafactory in Grünheide. The fire department was called at 3:33 am local time by Tesla after a pile of cardboard was said to have caught fire on the northeastern part of the factory.

According to district fire chief Klaus-Peter Schulz, there is a small recycling plant there. “There, packaging material is recycled and shredded on the spot.” Tesla commissioned a company to do this.

The Oderland regional office said that several fire brigades from the municipality of Grünheide and the turntable ladder from Erkner were used.

800 cubic meters of paper, cardboard and wood are said to have burned. Firefighting water with foam agent is said to have been used in the firefighting. “It will be checked whether shredding work would have caused the fire,” said the police. Nobody got hurt. According to information from MOZ.de, the forensic technology is on site.

The citizens’ initiative Grünheide (BI) is calling for an immediate production stop: “Our worst fears have come true. We demand a production stop until the causes and circumstances have been clarified and all safety-related measures in the water protection area have been implemented,” says Steffen Schorcht from BI.

Earlier this year, the same group called for Tesla’s production permit to be revoked following a paint leak at the factory.

The factory is mostly located in a drinking water protection area. The Strausberg-Erkner Water Association was alarmed after examining drone footage of the fire. “Well, what can be seen there clearly confirms that extinguishing water seeps into the unpaved area,” says WSE boss André Bähler to MOZ.de. “In view of the fact that the groundwater is unprotected at this point – i.e. without a waterproof cover – we view this with great concern,” says Bähler.

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