Tesla’s Berlin factory shuts down after suspected transformer arson

Enlarge / Tesla halted production at the factory near Berlin and sent workers home after a fire at a high-voltage pylon caused power failures throughout the region. (credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Tesla has had to suspend operations at its factory in Berlin, Germany, today. Early this morning there was a suspected arson attack on a nearby electrical transformer that led to the factory being evacuated, according to the German publication BZ. The fire has also left parts of Berlin without power, as well as towns in Brandenburg.

According to BZ, the transformer fire happened at 4:50 am CET, with Tesla’s factory losing power an hour before the start of today’s shift. Other companies based at the industrial estate next to the Tesla factory have also had to suspend work.

The fire brigade and power company’s work to restore power was slowed by the discovery of a tent apparently occupied by climate activists protesting water pollution at Tesla’s factory, as well as a planned expansion of the site. A sign warning of unexploded ordnance resulted in the first responders calling in the bomb squad.