Tesla’s plant in Germany was forced to close after a suspected arson at a nearby substation. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
Tesla employees evacuated a plant near Berlin Tuesday after a substation that provides electricity to the facility caught fire in a possible arson attack.
Brandenberg Police said that it was believed attackers deliberately set a high-voltage electric pole on fire, damaging the electrical line and cutting off power to the surrounding area including the Tesla plant. Advertisement
Interior Minister Michael Stubgen condemned the suspected arson, saying there would be consequences.
“Here, thousands of people were cut off from basic services and put at risk,” Stubgen said. “The rule of law will react to such an act of sabotage with all severity.”
The State Office of Criminal Investigation said it had launched an investigation into the incident.
The far-left environmental organization Volcano Group made unsubstantiated claims that it had set the fire.
In a letter claiming responsibility, the group said it sought the “complete destruction of Tesla’s Gigafactory.”
The factory was evacuated and production was shut down. It was not immediately clear if production would restart Tuesday.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory is Tesla’s only plant in Europe.
It had shut down production from the end of January to the middle of February in response to postponed deliveries caused by Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea. Advertisement
The factory had faced protests from environmental activists in a forest near the plant, opposing Tesla’s plans to cut down part of the forest to expand the factory.
Authorities said it was unclear whether the fire was related to those protests.
