(Yicai Global) Jan. 8 -- A used battery recycling factory belonging to a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology caught fire last night. Several people were injured but there were no fatalities, the local government said.

A workshop belonging to Hunan Brunp Recycling Technology, the country’s largest recycler of lithium batteries, exploded into flames at around 6.12 p.m. yesterday, the Ningxiang government in central Hunan province, where the factory is based, said on its microblogging Weibo account.

The local fire department immediately dispatched several fire engines and the blaze was soon brought under control, it added. No further details were given about the possible cause of the accident, the number of injured, the severity of their injuries and the estimated production losses.

Ningde, southeastern Fujian province-based CATL refused to comment when contacted by Yicai Global.

CATL holds a 52.88 percent share in Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology, parent firm of Hunan Brunp Recycling.

The recycler extracts around 4,500 tons a year of manganese, nickel, and cobalt compounds from used lithium batteries which are used to produce ternary lithium batteries.

CATL’s stock price [SHE:300750] closed down 2.11 percent at CNY404.50 (USD62.58) today.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor