Fire at Rivian’s Illinois plant damages several vehicles, facility unaffected

A fire at Rivian Automotive’s (NASDAQ:RIVN) plant in Normal, Illinois damaged a number of vehicles on Saturday night, said a spokesperson for the company.

The spokesperson added that the assembly plant itself was unaffected and that the company was investigating the cause of the fire.

According to Normal Fire Department Public Information Officer Matt Swaney, the fire crew was called to the electric vehicle maker’s manufacturing facility at 9:43 PM CT for the report of a vehicle fire in a parking lot on the north side of the manufacturing plant.

Swaney confirmed that the fire had been put out and there were no reports of injuries to firefighters or Rivian (RIVN) personnel.

The EV maker, known for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, is currently in the middle of expanding its sole plant to produce its smaller and more affordable R2 SUV, seen as crucial to its future amid a slowdown in demand for EVs.

Earlier this week, Stellantis (STLA) said it had appointed Rivian’s (RIVN) head of manufacturing operations, Tim Fallon, as its head of manufacturing in North America.

Shares of the EV firm have tumbled nearly 41% so far this year, underperforming the S&P 500’s gain of about 18%.