---
title: "Fire Breaks Out at SpaceX Starship Facility in Florida"
description: "A small fire broke out today at SpaceX's facility in Florida that's focused on bringing the Starship rocket to life, as TechCrunch reports."
date: "2019-07-08"
modified: "2019-07-08"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fire-spacex-starship-facility-florida"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
tags:
  - "rocket"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "Starship"
  - "the digest"
---

# Fire Breaks Out at SpaceX Starship Facility in Florida

![A small fire broke out today at SpaceX's facility in Florida that's focused on bringing the Starship rocket to life, as TechCrunch reports.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/fire-spacex-starship-facility-florida.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Chris Bergin/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## A Small Contained Fire

A small fire broke out today at SpaceX's Florida facility — focused on bringing the Starship rocket to life — [*TechCrunch* reports](<https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/08/small-fire-breaks-out-and-is-extinguished-at-spacexs-florida-starship-facility/>).

"This afternoon, a small fire occurred at a SpaceX facility in Cocoa, Florida," SpaceX wrote in a statement to *TechCrunch*. "The fire was contained to a sea van on site and extinguished thanks to the Cocoa Fire Department, which responded within minutes. There were no injuries as a result of the fire, and the cause is under investigation."

Footage of the fire was [streamed live](<https://clips.twitch.tv/SpikySmoggyEggTwitchRPG>) on Twitch, courtesy of *NASASpaceFlight.com* managing editor Chris Bergin. The footage shows a plume of dark smoke emanating from a building, with the nose of SpaceX's Starship test craft in the background, seemingly undamaged.

## Where There's Smoke

SpaceX successfully completed the [first tethered "hop"](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-tests-starship-hopper-engine>) of its Starship test "Hopper" at its other facility in Boca Chica, Texas in April. The two facilities — in Texas and Florida — are actively competing to develop Starship and are currently working on prototypes.

The news also comes after a [SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule exploded](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-confirms-anomaly-destroy-crew-dragon>) during a static test back in April, [delaying the first crewed test launch](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spacex-explosion-delayed-flight-program>) of the passenger spacecraft.

We have yet to see if the incident will impact timelines at all — we don't yet know what the cause of today's fire was — but it's looking unlikely to represent any significant setback.

**READ MORE:** [Small fire breaks out and is extinguished at SpaceX’s Florida Starship facility](<https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/08/small-fire-breaks-out-and-is-extinguished-at-spacexs-florida-starship-facility/>) \[*TechCrunch*\]

**More on Starship:** *[Elon Musk Compares Rocket Rides to Disney Roller Coaster](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-starship-disney-space-mountain>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)