Hundreds ordered to evacuate as fire breaks out at massive battery storage facility in California

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (AP) – Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate and part of Highway 1 in northern California was closed when a large fire broke out Thursday afternoon at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities.

As the fire sent up towering flames and black smoke and showed no sign of abating Thursday night, about 1,500 people were instructed to evacuate the Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough area, Mercury News reported.

The Moss Landing Power Plant, located about 77 miles (about 124 kilometers) south of San Francisco, is owned by Texas company Vistra Energy and contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries. The batteries are important for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar energy, but if they catch fire, the flames can be extremely difficult to put out.

“There’s no way to sugar coat it. This is a disaster, is what it is,” said Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church KSBW-TV. But he said he did not expect the fire to spread beyond the concrete building in which it was contained.

There were fires at the Vistra facility in 2021 and 2022 that were caused by a fire sprinkler system failure that resulted in some units overheating, according to The Mercury News.

It was unclear what caused this latest fire. Vistra said in a statement that after it was discovered, everyone at the scene was safely evacuated. After the fire is extinguished, an investigation will begin.

“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our staff, and Vistra greatly appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” Jenny Lyon, a Vistra spokeswoman, said in a statement.

The North Monterey County Unified School District announced that all schools and offices would be closed Friday due to the fire.