BYD factory in Shenzhen, China catches fire

In the early morning of April 14, 2026, a massive fire broke out in a multi-story parking garage at the Pingshan Industrial Complex, which serves as BYD Company's main headquarters and a major production center in Shenzhen, China. The fire, which started around 2:48 AM local time, destroyed a large number of electric vehicles (EVs) used for testing and those that had been decommissioned.

A large black cloud of smoke rose into the sky with the fire, clearly visible to the industrial park and surrounding residents. However, due to the swift intervention of district and municipal emergency response units as well as firefighters, the fire was completely brought under control by morning.

BYD Company announced that the affected parking garage was used solely for parking test vehicles and decommissioned vehicles, and no new customer vehicles were damaged. The company also confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported due to the incident. Furthermore, the fire did not spread to the main production areas of the factory, and BYD Company's daily production operations and vehicle delivery schedules continue without any disruption.

The official cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed, and authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter. Although various speculations have circulated on social media suggesting that the incident might have occurred due to insulation material catching fire during ongoing external construction work nearby, these have not yet been confirmed by official sources. Numerous video clips showing a large part of the building engulfed in flames at the time of the incident rapidly circulated on social media.

Following this incident, BYD Company's stock price experienced a slight decline on the Hong Kong stock exchange, falling between 0.6% and 1% to reach HKD 109.3. This clearly reflects the high sensitivity among investors regarding such safety issues occurring at the factories of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. Additionally, the global discussion on the risks associated with lithium-ion battery fires has once again come to the forefront due to this incident. Experts point out that an EV fire is significantly different from a conventional fuel vehicle fire, and there is a high risk of re-ignition even after it has been extinguished.

BYD, a leading global electric vehicle manufacturer, has faced similar battery-related safety issues in the past. In January 2026, the company had to recall 6,843 units of its Fangchengbao Bao 5 plug-in hybrid SUV due to fire risks, and a similar situation was reported in September 2024. Despite these challenges, the company has accelerated its efforts to expand its charging network, having already established 5,000 fast-charging stations across 297 cities in China. Their goal is to increase this number to 20,000 by the end of 2026. With this latest fire incident, social media and industry analysts have strongly emphasized the need for safer methods for disposing of decommissioned electric vehicles and batteries, in parallel with the global increase in EV adoption.