US$1.3m damage in GM Factory Zero fire

On December 19 a fire at the General Motors (GM) Factory Zero plant in Detroit and Hamtramck caused about US$1.3 million damage, says a new report.

Destroyed EV batteries and other goods and equipment account for US$1 million of the losses and US$300,000 consisting of damage to factory buildings, says GM Authority.

It says Crain’s Detroit Business obtained details of the monetary loss from the damage following a Freedom of Information Act request that put a detailed incident report into the hands of the news website’s writers.

Firefighters took about seven hours to extinguish the fire and used EV car fire blankets given to them by factory personnel as well as “copious amounts of water and foam” to battle the blaze, which had enveloped a stack of five pallets of EV batteries next to a loading dock, GM Authority says.

It adds firefighters were able to remove pallets from the building using several GM forklifts after being quickly instructed in their operation.

The incident reports say “some of the remaining battery packs did ignite and the others were continually ‘off gassing’” as they were removed.

“The fire allegedly started when a forklift ran into a pallet of batteries and punctured several with its forks, causing them to ignite,” says GM Authority.

 “Production of EVs quickly resumed at the factory, which was initially fully evacuated until the fire was brought under control.”

Factory Zero produces the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, the GMC Hummer EV SUV, and the Chevrolet Silverado EV, with more EV models to come.