in the early hours of sunday, an electric suv, the ff91, caught fire and exploded at faraday future's los angeles headquarters, damaging part of the wall. the los angeles fire department (lafd) extinguished the fire within 40 minutes and there were no casualties. however, the building suffered significant damage and a red tag was issued. john sillings, the company's public relations director, said that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but there were no injuries.
the fire occurred at a critical time for faraday future, as the company's current lease agreement is set to expire at the end of this month. the struggling startup has been renting office space since selling its headquarters in 2019 and is currently facing a lawsuit from the landlord for unpaid rent in 2024. the headquarters campus is currently listed as a rental property, but the company has yet to renew its lease.
according to the fire department, witnesses reported the fire at 4:37 a.m. and the building's sprinkler system effectively contained the fire. photos from the scene show the wall bulging from the explosion and firefighters forcing their way in. investigators initially ruled out the possibility of human error and confirmed that the fire-damaged suv had been on display in the office area. when it was first launched in 2017, faraday future positioned the ff91 as an "ultra-luxury electric suv". however, mass production has been repeatedly delayed, with the first deliveries not expected until 2023. there have also been allegations of inflated sales figures from employees. recently, the company has been promoting the sale of low-priced electric mpvs and expanding into cryptocurrency, but it is also facing the possibility of litigation from the us securities and exchange commission (sec). the fire could further exacerbate the company's business crisis.
