Yet another vehicle fire broke out at Nikola’s Arizona headquarters on Sunday, July 23. This time, the startup said that the fire was caused by a damaged truck that “reignited” while it was being monitored for safety reasons.
The fire occurred almost exactly a month after four trucks were damaged following a fire in its Arizona headquarters’ parking lot. At the time, the company said it suspected that foul play was involved in starting the fires. It remains unclear if the vehicle that reignited over the weekend was also involved in the June fire.
Read: Nikola Suspects Foul Play In Fire That Engulfed Four Of Its Electric Semi Trucks
We have reached out to Nikola for comment, and we will update this story when we hear back. In a statement to Reuters, it said only that the truck had previously been damaged. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
“We thank the Phoenix Fire Department for their swift response,” a Nikola spokesperson told AZ Central. “The damaged trucks have remained at the company’s HQ site for safety monitoring and the ongoing investigations.”
Officials with the fire department say that hundreds of gallons of water were used to fight the battery fire that raged at more than 800 °F (427 °C). Hazmat firefighters responded to the blaze, since smoke emanating from a lithium-ion battery fire can be toxic.
Following reports of its second fire in 30 days, Nikola’s share prices fell by about four percent. To make matters worse for the company, in its investigation of the first blaze, the Phoenix Fire Department found “no evidence at all of arson,” despite Nikola’s allegations. However, the department’s investigation did not find a cause, so it is unclear if a design flaw is to blame.
