Nikola says fire incident at headquarters affects trucks, suspects foul play

(Reuters) – Electric-truck maker Nikola on Friday reported a fire around its Phoenix, Arizona headquarters and said it suspects foul play behind the incident that affected multiple trucks but caused no injuries, sending its shares down 7%.

“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 company said in a tweet.

It did not immediately respond to a request on the number of affected trucks.

The Phoenix Fire Department tweeted that hazardous materials crews were at the scene of the fire along with a video that indicated at least three trucks were impacted.

Nikola made 63 Tre battery electric trucks and delivered 31 to dealers in the first three months of the year.

The company’s stock has been on a tear this month with the share price doubling since June 1 on no apparent fundamentals.

However, the company last week announced layoffs and a sharper focus on the North American marketplace.

It paused production at its factory in Coolidge, Arizona, and was set to resume making trucks in July, the company said last month.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)