MOSS LANDING, Calif. — Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate and a section of Highway 1 in Northern California was closed Thursday evening after a massive fire broke out at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants.
About 1,500 people were ordered to evacuate the Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough area as the fire spewed out large flames and black smoke and showed no signs of abating by Thursday night. New Mercury notify
The Moss Landing Power Plant, located about 77 miles (about 124 kilometers) south of San Francisco, is owned by Texas-based Vistra Energy and contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries. Batteries are important for storing electricity from renewable sources like solar power, but if they catch fire, putting them out can be very difficult.
“There is no way to sugar coat it. This is a disaster, that’s what it is,” Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church said KSBW-TV. But he said he did not expect the fire to spread beyond the sealed concrete building.
According to The Mercury News, fires at the Vistra plant in 2021 and 2022 were caused by a fire sprinkler system malfunction that caused some units to overheat.
It was unclear what caused this latest fire. Vistra said in a statement that after detection, everyone on the site was safely evacuated. After the fire is extinguished, the investigation will begin.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our employees, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued support of our local emergency personnel,” Vistra spokeswoman Jenny Lyon 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.
