A month after initial fire, Nikola electric semi-truck reignites at Phoenix headquarters

PHOENIX – An electric semi-truck that caught fire a month ago at the Nikola Motor headquarters in Phoenix reignited over the weekend, authorities said.

Firefighters with hazardous materials training responded to the facility near 40th Street and Broadway Road just after 2 p.m. Sunday, the Phoenix Fire Department said.

A truck’s battery cells ignited and were burning at over 800 degrees. The vehicle was one of four that caught fire June 23 at the Nikola headquarters.

In addition to burning extremely hot and being difficult to douse, electric battery fires produce toxic smoke.

Crews poured hundreds of gallons per minute onto the semi in an effort to cool the batteries down enough to change the chemical reaction. The process was expected to take 12-24 hours to complete, the fire department said late Sunday afternoon.

No roads were closed as a result of the incident and no injuries were reported.

No other details were made available.

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