Tesla's Giga Berlin plant in Germany shut down by suspected arson fire

Berlin — Tesla's "gigafactory" near Berlin was evacuated Tuesday after a fire and major power outage that was being investigated as a suspected case of arson. Police in the state of Brandenburg said they were inspecting a letter the force had received claiming that a far-left environmental organization known as Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) was responsible for the fire, but that it had yet to be authenticated.

With operations at the massive Tesla plant still suspended Wednesday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the daily newspaper Rheinische Post that "if a left-wing extremist motive is confirmed, then this is further proof that left-wing extremists do not even shy away from serious attacks on our energy infrastructure."

An area around the factory in Grünheide, about 30 miles east of Berlin, experienced power cuts from early Tuesday morning. Police said they were investigating the possibility of an arson attack after a fire damaged an electricity pylon in the area.

"If the initial findings are confirmed, this is a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure," said Brandenburg state Interior Minister Michael Stübgen. "This will have consequences. Thousands of people have been cut off from their basic supply and put in danger."

According to a statement released by the ministry, unknown perpetrators were believed to have set fire to the high-voltage pylon in the eastern part of the state in the early morning hours. The fire damaged the high-voltage line to such an extent that the power supply to the surrounding villages and Tesla's nearby Giga Berlin plant were cut, leading to the evacuation and complete halt in production at the U.S. automaker's only European factory.

Tesla founder Elon Musk ridiculed the apparent activist attack in a post on his social media platform X, even mocking them in German.

"These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals," Musk said in the post. "Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm."

Tesla said it did not expect production to resume this week, and it estimated the cost to its operations at several hundred million euros. 

The Brandenburg State Office of Criminal Investigation confirmed that an investigation was launched.

The letter sent to the Brandenburg Police and attributed to the Volcano Group, which is considered a left-wing extremist organization in Germany, calls for the "complete destruction of Tesla's Gigafactory," according to local media reports.

Regional authorities did not immediately draw any connection with protests that have taken place recently around the Tesla factory. 

Since Feb. 29, around 80 to 100 environmental activists have occupied part of a state forest in Brandenburg near the Tesla plant, which Elon Musk's company hopes to clear to expand its site.

"I warn against premature speculation," Stübgen said about any possible link.

In:
• Tesla
• Elon Musk
• Arson
• Environment
• Fire
• Germany

Anna Noryskiewicz

Anna Noryskiewicz is a CBS News journalist based in Berlin, Germany, who covers politics, conflict and crime in Europe and beyond. Anna worked previously for a range of global outlets including BBC News, NPR and Al Jazeera. She speaks five languages, including Mandarin, German, Polish and Russian.

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