Foul play suspected in fire at Nikola headquarters

Multiple electric trucks damaged in incident Friday morning

A line of Nikola trucksis seen at the Coolidge, Arizona, plant in March 2023. (Alan Adler/FreightWaves)

An investigation is underway after an early morning fire on Friday damaged multiple trucks at the Phoenix headquarters of electric truck manufacturer Nikola Corp. 

The incident, which was first reported just before 5 a.m. MT, caused damage to five electric trucks, according to a CNN report. In a tweet, the electric truck startup called the fire suspicious.

“Foul play is suspected as a vehicle was seen in the area of the affected trucks just prior to the incident and an investigation is underway,” the tweet reads.

Hazardous materials crews from the Phoenix Fire Department and the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department responded to the scene.

No injuries were reported. 

The news comes one week after the company announced it slashed nearly 300 jobs as its cash to run the business shrinks and amid ongoing turmoil with the company’s founder, Trevor Milton, who was convicted of defrauding investors in October. 

Read more about Nikola here.

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