Paddock fire sees garages evacuated and one hospitalised

Cal Gaunt
Tuesday 24 October 2023 16:30 - Updated: 19:13

A fire broke out in the Formula E paddock during pre-season testing in Valencia, leading to an evacuation and one individual being taken to hospital.

The incident occurred around 1pm local time in Spain and was believed to have been triggered by an explosion in the pit box of battery supplier WAE, formerly known as Williams Advanced Engineering.

As a precaution, team personnel were promptly removed from the area, and the Circuit Ricardo Tormo was secured.

Authorities investigate cause

"In a break between practice sessions, a fire was detected in the pitlane and garage area which has been contained," Formula E said in an official statement.

"The on-track Incident Response Team acted immediately to contain the incident while the main pit building and garages were quickly evacuated.

"One person has been assessed by medics and has been transported to hospital for precautionary checks.

An update from Circuit Ricardo Tormo. pic.twitter.com/hlDstvGA8k

— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) October 24, 2023

"Formula E, the FIA and local fire authorities are investigating the cause and will provide a further update in due course."

The scheduled start time for the second session of pre-season testing was 2pm local time, but there has been no official determination yet regarding whether the session will proceed as planned.

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