There is another fire at the Tesla factory in Fremont and an investigation is ongoing

An unknown number of firefighters responded to the fire at the Tesla factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard, which broke out before 5 p.m. The incident was described as a two-alarm fire in a two-story building.

The fire apparently started in a furnace used in vehicle manufacturing, the authority said, adding that the cause of the fire was still being investigated on Monday evening.

The fire was “knocked down” within a few hours, the department said, and firefighters were released from the scene around 8 p.m

The Fremont plant is Tesla’s first mass-production facility for electric vehicles. The company was the first to produce the popular Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossover utility vehicles, as well as the high-end Model S sedan and the Model X, an SUV with falcon-wing doors.

On May 17, 2024, Tesla celebrated a milestone for its Fremont factory in conjunction with its battery factory outside Reno, Nevada, announcing that it had exceeded production of 3 million vehicles.

Monday’s fire followed widespread layoffs at the Elon Musk-led automaker. Tesla recently cut another 601 jobs in California, including 164 at the Fremont factory.

Among the positions eliminated in this latest wave of layoffs at Fremont were two environmental, health and safety (EHS) directors and a host of other people working in EHS, safety, equipment maintenance and emergency services, according to the The company’s filings with the California Department of Employment Development show.

There has been a history of fires at the Tesla factory in Fremont. For example, several fire incidents occurred at the factory from 2014 to 2018, including a mix of interior and exterior fires in 2018 alone, and even more in 2019 and 2021.

Fires at the Fremont plant have sometimes required a production stoppage in the past.

Tesla did not respond to a request for further information Monday evening.

Local environmental regulators, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAMQD), recently accused Tesla of allowing “unabated emissions” at the Fremont plant and said toxic air pollution should have been prevented.

The BAAMQD is now seeking a cease-and-desist order that would force Tesla to make changes to factory operations to prevent further pollution.

On Monday evening, the BAAMQD told CNBC via email that it was aware of the fire and assessing the situation in Alameda County.