Fire at Rivian’s factory damages multiple electric vehicles

A fire broke out in a parking lot at Rivian's Normal, Illinois, factory over the weekend, damaging several electric vehicles, local media is reporting. No injuries are being reported at this time.

A spokesperson for the Normal Fire Department told The Verge that a report of a fire was called in at 9:43PM CT on Saturday at the Rivian factory. That said, Rivian is now leading the investigation into the nature of the blaze, along with the company's insurance company, with the town's fire officials lending their support as needed, Normal Fire Department spokesperson Matt Swaney said in an email.

"It is a very intricate and complex investigation so we do not have a timeline of when and if any origin or cause may be determined at this time," Swaney added. "The assembly plant itself is unaffected by the incident. There were no injuries to firefighters or Rivian personnel."

Meanwhile, witnesses told 25 News Now they could see flames and smoke rising from the factory site at a distance. The factory itself was not damaged, as the fire was contained to the parking lot.

"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," Rivian spokesperson Peebles Squire said in a statement. "The plant itself is unaffected. There were no injuries. We are not providing further details at this time."

Fire is increasingly becoming a major risk factor for EV manufacturers, as lithium-ion battery cells can burn extremely hot and are resistant to traditional methods of prevention. Over a dozen people have been killed in fires linked to faulty e-bike batteries in New York City. A Tesla Semi caught fire in California last week, causing a major traffic jam.

Of course, gas-powered vehicles can catch fire and often do at a much higher rate than electric vehicles. But the difficulty in containing and extinguishing EV batteries makes them a unique challenge for fire departments, especially as EV sales continue to grow.

First responders are being trained to handle EV battery fires since they can't be extinguished via some traditional methods. Republican lawmakers, who have largely opposed the subsidization of EV manufacturing, are pushing the message that EVs are uniquely dangerous. And the Biden administration, which is trying to encourage more consumers to buy EVs as a way to fight climate change, is trying to get local departments to share information about the best ways to fight EV battery fires.

Correction August 26: The fire was first reported Saturday evening. A previous version of this story had the wrong day.