Grünheide near Berlin
Tesla factory evacuated – police investigate possible arson after power outage
The Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide
© Geisler-Fotopress | Thomas Bartilla / Picture Alliance
After a fire on a free-standing electricity pylon, the Tesla factory in Brandenburg is at a standstill and the factory has been evacuated. The police are investigating a possible arson.
Production at Tesla’s only European car factory comes to a standstill after a power outage. The factory in Grünheide was evacuated, said a spokeswoman. The police are investigating initial suspicions of arson
As Tesla continued, all measures were taken to secure the production facilities. After consultation with the electricity provider Edis, Tesla does not expect production to restart quickly.
Burning electricity pylon near Tesla factory near Berlin
A burning electricity pylon had previously caused a major power outage in the region. As the police announced in the morning, the fire department was called to the fire in the Goßen-Neu Zittau area (Märkisch Oderland district) at around 5:15 a.m. and began extinguishing the fire. According to a spokesman, the fire caused a power outage in the area. The police have not yet provided any information about the cause of the fire.
Southeast of Berlin
“Giga” in Grünheide: This is Tesla’s car factory in Brandenburg
Police spokesman Roland Kamenz said the electricity pylon was said to be free-standing in a field. A police helicopter was also deployed in the morning after the alarm was raised about the fire.
Police investigate arson – Brandenburg’s Interior Minister speaks of a “perfidious attack”
Regarding the possible cause, the spokesman initially said: “We are investigating in all directions.” It was later said that the police were investigating a possible arson attack. The “BZ” and the “Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung”, among others, had previously reported. Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) spoke of a “perfidious attack” on the electricity infrastructure.
There was a power outage in the factory around an hour before the start of the shift, the newspaper “BZ” reported on Tuesday, citing the Oderland control center. In the early hours of the morning there was a loud bang and the Steinfurt substation near the Tesla factory caught fire. Next to the burning transformer, the emergency services discovered a tent belonging to environmental activists.
Environmental activists occupy forest areas
When asked, the authorities initially did not comment on the possible connection with protests around the Tesla factory site. Since Thursday, around 80 to 100 environmental activists have been occupying part of the state forest in Brandenburg near the Tesla factory, which Elon Musk’s company wants to clear in the event of an expansion of its site.
The activists have built around ten tree houses several meters high and announced that they want to hold out for as long as possible. The Grünheide citizens’ initiative also speaks out against Tesla’s expansion plans and shows solidarity with the occupiers.
Note: This article has been updated.