Aug 25 (Reuters) - A fire broke out at a parking lot at

Rivian Automotive's ( RIVN ) manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois

late on Saturday damaging many of its electric vehicles, the

U.S. startup said on Sunday.

There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire

was being investigated, a company spokesperson told Reuters.

The fire was at a parking lot on the north side of the

four-million-square-foot factory, located 130 miles (209 km)

south of Chicago, and the assembly plant was unaffected, the

Normal Fire Department said in a statement to Reuters.

Rivian did not confirm the number and type of

vehicles affected.

Rivian, known for its R1S SUVs and R1T pickups, is expanding

the Normal plant to produce its smaller, less expensive R2 SUVs

that are expected to roll out in 2026 and seen as critical to

its success.

The company this year shut the plant down for three weeks

for a major retooling that is meant to simplify manufacturing

and slash costs.

The EV maker produces all its vehicles at the factory in

Normal, with a second assembly plant planned in Georgia.

Last week, it temporarily suspended production of its

commercial delivery vans used by retail giant Amazon.com ( AMZN )

due to a shortage of parts but expects to recover all

missed production.