A fire broke out in Tesla’s battery assembly building at Giga Berlin earlier this week. No injuries or environmental damage were reported, and production was temporarily halted while authorities and Tesla handled the incident.
According to the German Handelsblatt, a fire broke out on Monday in a building where battery packs are manufactured. All employees, including those working on drive unit assembly in the same building, were evacuated. It reportedly took several hours to extinguish the fire.
Tesla did not respond to questions from the German news outlet, but the Oder-Spree district, where the plant is located, confirmed the incident. Tesla reported the event to the authorities, stating that there had been a “small fire in battery pack production” around 3 p.m. on Monday.
According to the district spokesperson cited by Handelsblatt, “some battery cells fell from a conveyor belt on the first floor through a shaft into the ground floor.” The fire appears to have been limited to these cells in the transport system on the ground floor.
The Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU) provided further details. A spokesperson reported that “several stacks” of cells fell from the conveyor, with a total of 512 cells affected. “That corresponds to about two-thirds of a complete battery pack for a passenger car,” Handelsblatt quoted.
It was not specified which cell type was involved. Tesla uses both CATL LFP cells for the Model Y base variant and NCM cells from LG Energy Solution for the Long Range versions at the Brandenburg site.
While Tesla continues to investigate the cause, it has already been confirmed that no one was injured. Environmental damage has also been ruled out. The firefighting water was “fully contained within the building,” according to the district, meaning no contaminated water leaked into the groundwater. A specialised cleaning company has been tasked with removing the firefighting water and cleaning affected areas. It is not yet known whether this has already taken place. The district stated that Tesla “took all necessary measures in line with the emergency plan agreed with the local water authority and WSE.”
Production stopped immediately after the incident on Monday afternoon. According to Handelsblatt, operations resumed only gradually on Tuesday – drive unit assembly restarted in the afternoon, while battery pack assembly did not restart at all. Employees unable to perform their usual production tasks attended training sessions and courses, including first-aid classes.
handelsblatt.com
