Formula E paddock evacuated as a fire breaks out during test day
A fire broke out in the pit lane / garages here in Valencia. Had to evacuate from the building in the middle of the press conference.
— FormulaNerds (@Formula_Nerds) October 24, 2023
Everyone seems to be ok - the fire engines are in attendance. Not sure if any more running will be done today #ABBFormulaE pic.twitter.com/IRuC844qet
The incident occurred on Tuesday in Valencia, on the first day of preseason testing for the FIA’s electric racing series.
A statement read: “In a break between practice sessions, a fire was detected in the pitlane and garage area which has been contained.
"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.
"Formula E, the FIA and local fire authorities are investigating the cause and will provide a further update in due course."
The fire started after the morning session. An afternoon session was cancelled as a result of the fire.
Nyck de Vries, who lost his AlphaTauri F1 drive earlier this year to Daniel Ricciardo, is driving in Valencia today having joined Mahindra in the Formula E championship.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
