A fire under a section of assembly line conveyor resulted in the evacuation of the Rivian Automotive Assembly Plant late this morning.
Normal Firefighters were already at the Rivian property for an unrelated incident when the fire broke out at around 11:30 this morning. Firefighters made quick use of fire extinguishers and knocked the fire down until additional fire personnel arrived to assist. Employees were evacuated safely from the building. One employee was treated for minor smoke inhalation but declined transportation to a hospital.
The fire began under a section of conveyor that moves the vehicle chassis down the assembly line on the western side of the building. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. The fire did not involve a vehicle or battery components. The fire damage was contained to the area where it began.
Due to the size of the facility, it took an extended amount of time to ventilate the smoke from the building. Air quality tests were performed to ensure that the air was safe to breathe as firefighters finished operations inside the building.
Control of the building was turned over to Rivian just after 1:00 p.m. and employees were permitted to return to the building.
Bloomington Fire Department assisted with an ambulance and an engine company, and off-duty Normal firefighters were called back to be available for any additional calls in the Town of Normal during this incident.
A damage estimate is not available.