Evacuation, But No Serious Injuries, After Spill At Tesla 'Gigafactory'

A portion of Tesla's "Gigafactory" battery plant in northern Nevada was evacuated after a cleaning solvent spilled at a loading dock Monday.

Reuters reports that authorities were investigating the spill but that no serious injuries were reported and the public is not at risk.

A Tesla spokesman indicated that the spill involved a drum of "standard construction cleaning solvent" and that "a couple" of employees potentially exposed to the chemical were transported to a nearby hospital "out of an abundance of caution."

Tesla opened the Gigafactory last summer but construction on the $5 billion project remains ongoing. The plant will eventually employ about 6,500 workers producing lithium-ion batteries to meet Tesla's rapidly growing vehicle production goals.

The electric vehicle maker does not anticipate that Monday's incident will impact production.