Hazmat crews have responded to a chemical spill at the Tesla Gigafactory, the company’s battery plant in operation while under construction outside Reno, planned to be the biggest factory in the world. Several workers are said to feel sick, and a section of the factory has been evacuated. Update: It was a cleaning solvent, and the whole ordeal seems pretty minor.
As of yet, ambulances are also at the scene, though local KOLO 8 News reports that it is not clear if anyone has been hospitalized. The county says that the spill got into the Gigafactory’s HVAC system.
Update: Here’s what Tesla sent us about the incident:
A drum of standard construction cleaning solvent was spilled at one of the Gigafactory loading docks this afternoon. Although this minor spill poses no threat to the public, per our safety protocols, we evacuated a small portion of the building and alerted the authorities.
A cleanup crew is onsite and out of an abundance of caution, a couple of employees who may have been exposed are being transferred to the local hospital. There are no reports of serious injuries. We don’t expect any impact to production.
That’s good.