A significant fire broke out in the parking lot of Rivian’s electric vehicle (EV) factory in Normal, Illinois, over the weekend, causing substantial damage to over 50 vehicles.
The fire was reported to the Normal Fire Department just before 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, 2024. Fire crews promptly arrived at the scene, where they found a section of the factory’s parking lot engulfed in flames with black smoke billowing high into the air.
Major fire at the @Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 (@DriveTeslaca) August 25, 2024
No word on any injuries, hopefully everyone is ok. pic.twitter.com/sZ6cdLvD5w
The vehicles involved, including Rivian’s R1S and R1T models, were reportedly awaiting shipment to customers. Despite the intensity of the blaze, the factory itself was not impacted, and fortunately no injuries were reported.
Firefighters managed to contain the fire by midnight, although they remained on site well into the early hours of Sunday to monitor the area.
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time. The Normal Fire Department has launched an investigation, and Rivian has also confirmed that they are conducting their own internal inquiry into the incident. The damaged vehicles were confined to a corner of the factory’s parking lot, with aerial images posted on social media revealing the extent of the damage, with a number of the vehicles burnt down to their frames.
This fire follows a similar incident just a month earlier, where three Rivian Amazon Electric Delivery Vans (EDVs) ignited at an Amazon fulfillment center in Houston, Texas. However, Rivian stated that the Houston fire was not related to the high-voltage batteries in the vehicles.
