A vehicle fire broke out at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, factory over the weekend, damaging about 50 vehicles. Firefighters were alerted to the blaze just before 9:45 pm Saturday, and video of the incident shows flames and smoke billowing from the plant’s north parking lot. The fire didn’t spread beyond the vehicles, sparing the plant, and no one was injured.
Normal Fire Department spokesperson Matt Swaney told WEEK-TV that firefighters had extinguished the blaze by midnight Sunday but remained on the scene. Battery fires can be difficult to put out, and there is a risk that a fire could reignite. It’s unclear what caused the fire to start, but the department has already begun its investigation. Rivian builds the R1T and R1S at this factory.
An aerial photo posted to the Rivian Electric Vehicles Discussion Facebook group taken the following morning revealed the extent of the damage. More than 30 Rivians appear burnt down to their frames, with very little left. The other vehicles look fine at a distance, but there’s no way they escaped the heat without damage. The whole group could likely be a loss.
Motor1 reached out to the Normal Fire Department and Rivian on Monday morning for additional information and any updates on the incident. We’ll update this story if we hear back.