Tesla shoots new ones: we talked about them just five days ago. But the latter is more serious than the maximum because it is not a Model 3 but a garage of Tesla lithium batteries. And emergency crews warn that it can burn for several days. Tesla is said to have asked not to attempt to completely extinguish the fire.
The fire broke out at Tesla’s $38 million (A$60 million) factory near Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, before 8 p. m. local time Tuesday evening. For reasons still unknown, one of 40 Tesla Megapack 2. 0 pieces of equipment at the Bouldercombe battery project, owned and operated through energy supplier Genex Power, got stuck in the fire, sending loud detonations and flames into the night air, as well as pungent smoke that locals describe as the smell of burning plastic.
Emergency crews responding to the crash managed to engage the chimney in a single Megapack and asked citizens to stay indoors with the windows closed, but said the smoke posed no risk to public health. The Bouldercombe battery task is one of the first on a large scale. Only battery-powered garage systems in Queensland and were not put into service until July this year, Australia’s ABC News reports.
Related: Sacramento firefighters arrest Elon Musk after Tesla spontaneously caught fire in Recovery Park
Genex showed reporters that the site had been disconnected from the grid until the fire was extinguished and the facility was declared safe, but that could take a while, as Tesla pleaded with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services not to attempt to put out the blaze.
“On the recommendation of the Queensland Fire Department and based on protocols provided through Tesla, the battery chimney can be turned off under the supervision of the fire brigade,” a Genex spokesperson told the media.
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan took to social media to express his emotions over the incident and criticised the Bouldercombe drum project.
“A Tesla battery is on fire near Rockhampton and crews have been ordered to turn it off,” he wrote on Facebook. “Our new power grid is worse than our old power grid. “