A fire broke out at one of lithium producer Livent’s manufacturing plants Monday morning.
Local fire departments responded to a three-alarm call at Livent’s processing plant in Bessemer City, North Carolina at around 1:30 a.m., according to a Gaston County news release.
Fire crews worked to contain the fire to one building, the company said in a news release. Livent’s emergency response team and the local fire department decided that the best course of action was to let the lithium metal fire burn out.
The Bessemer plant produces solid lithium metal ingots, and no toxic chemicals or compounds were on fire, the company said. No injuries were reported as of 5:30 a.m., local officials said. There is no risk to the local community and no evacuation orders are occurring.
“At this time, we are still investigating the cause of the fire,” Livent said in a statement. “Our top priority right now is to ensure the safety of the community.”
Livent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bessemer City plant is the company’s sole manufacturing facility in North America, according to Livent’s locations map.
The Bessemer City expansion, completed in November, was the first of several across Livent’s global footprint. The goal was to boost lithium hydroxide production capacity by 50% at the site to help meet the demand for EV battery materials.
“The expansion represents the first new lithium hydroxide production facility in North America in more than a decade,” President and CEO Paul Graves said last year in announcing the expansion.
