Some Germans are calling for a Tesla plant to be scrapped after an onsite blaze, leaving CEO Elon Musk red-faced.

A fire broke out at a gigafactory (large-scale EV manufacturing facilities) in the early hours of the morning and was put out by 50 firefighters from Tesla's own brigade and the local fire department of the municipality of Grünheide.

Eight hundred cubic metres of paper, cardboard, and wood caught fire, sparking huge flames – but thankfully injured no one.

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In response, some local people have urged Tesla to slam the brakes on production at its plant on the outskirts of the German capital, Berlin.

One of the most vocal opponents, called the citizens’ initiative Grünheide (BI), have resurfaced, calling for an immediate production stop due to the fire.

Steffen Schorcht, a representative from the group, said: "Our worst fears have come true. We demand a production stop until the causes and circumstances have been clarified and all safety-related measures in the water protection area have been implemented."

It came after the group had called for Tesla’s production permit to be revoked following a paint leak at the factor earlier this year.

And this also comes as Mr Musk appears to have been planning on setting up another Tesla gigafactory outside Germany. The German facility encountered a number of obstacles that delayed the opening of the plant.

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Back in 2020 for instance, local residents concerned about water contamination and the deforestation which was required to build the plant delayed its construction.

While Tesla managed to overcome its opponents regarding that issues, it again faced another pushback over its plans to expand the facility by approximately 100 hectares.

Mr Musk was hoping to add more space to the plant for parts warehousing, a freight yard, but local authorities indefinitely postponed a vote on Tesla's extension plans plan, stating they needed clarification from the central Government.

All this is likely incredibly frustrating for Mr Musk, who has said he would only set up a new gigafactory in a location that has “as little red tape as possible", which may have been a dig at the bureaucracy the Tesla boss has been subject to in Germany.

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