Tesla: Is the Gigafactory in Berlin in danger of closing because of the fire?

Since the beginning of the year, the major car manufacturer has had to deal with numerous fires in several cities. The latest is the one that went off in the Gigafactory in Berlin. Apparently, Tesla’s factory firefighters requested local firefighters’ assistance at 3:33 a.m. The fire is believed to have started near the company’s recycling facility which is on the northeast side of the property, but the cause is still unknown.

As a reminder, Tesla started building this Gigafactory in Berlin in 2020, but it was only inaugurated at the beginning of this year. In addition to the problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tesla has had to deal with environmental concerns raised by locals, which has delayed the opening of the factory. Moreover, these inhabitants returned to the charge after the unfortunate event.

More details on the fire

The fire broke out in the recycling facility, installed in the Gigafactory site. The fire only consumed cardboard, wood and paper. However, it took the intervention of about fifty firefighters for several hours to bring the fire under control.

For information, the Tesla factory in Grünheide is installed above a drinking water catchment area for the area. And environmentalists have always feared that groundwater pollution could impact the 170,000 people living around Tesla’s Gigafactory site. Because of these concerns, the factory was the target of a potential arson attack in 2021.

ecological concerns

Local environmental associations are concerned about possible water contamination through the infiltration of toxic substances into the ground. They want the factory suspended again and jumped at the chance to re-evaluate their concerns even though Tesla and its CEO have always championed the factory’s impact on the environment.

” Our worst fears have come true. We demand a stoppage of production until the causes and circumstances have been clarified and all safety measures in the field of water protection have been implemented announced Steffen Schorcht, spokesperson for the citizens’ initiative Grünheide.

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