SAN FRANCISCO — A fire at the largest lithium battery storage facility in the world, located in Northern California, was still smoldering on Friday after releasing toxic smoke into the atmosphere and resulting in the evacuation of around 1,500 individuals. The incident has raised significant concerns within the emerging battery storage industry.
The fire erupted at the Vistra Energy lithium battery plant in Moss Landing on Thursday, generating substantial flames and smoke. However, Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County indicated that the situation had improved by Friday, with minimal smoke observed. He mentioned that firefighting crews were allowing the blaze to extinguish naturally, as lithium-ion battery fires can burn at extremely high temperatures and are notoriously difficult to douse.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, though local residents have expressed worries about the release of hazardous gases into the environment. The implications of the fire, occurring roughly 100 miles south of San Francisco, are just beginning to unfold.
Supervisor Glenn Church of Monterey County characterized the event as a serious warning for the sustainability sector, emphasizing the necessity for a secure battery system as the state moves toward renewable energy solutions. He made these remarks during a briefing on Friday. Battery storage technology is vital for distributing clean energy when solar and wind conditions are insufficient, but as the industry primarily uses lithium-based batteries, it carries the risk of “thermal runaway,” resulting in intense fires and toxic emissions.
Vistra, the Texas-based company operating the facility, supplies energy to Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the leading utilities in the nation. According to a spokesperson from Monterey County, the fire was contained within the facility’s premises. As of Friday, evacuation orders for 1,200 to 1,500 people remained active, with residents being urged to keep windows shut and air conditioning off.
“This situation is undeniably catastrophic,” stated Supervisor Church in an interview with a local news outlet. Brad Watson, the senior director of community affairs for Vistra, confirmed that the Environmental Protection Agency is currently assessing air quality in the area, with plans for the company to consult air quality experts for further testing in nearby neighborhoods. Results of these assessments will be shared by Vistra once available.
Kelsey Scanlon, the director of Monterey County’s Department of Emergency Management, stressed that hydrogen fluoride emissions from the fire pose significant health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that hydrogen fluoride can irritate various parts of the body, and too much exposure could be fatal.
During an emergency gathering of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, residents voiced their worries regarding air quality. One concerned resident, Silvia Morales, criticized the fire department for not having suitable fire retardants to mitigate the blaze, which she believed put a vast number of residents—including those in Watsonville, situated in Santa Cruz County—at risk.
Sheriff Tina Nieto noted that air quality monitoring had not yet indicated any harmful gases in the atmosphere. However, more advanced monitoring technology was expected to arrive later in the day, which could lead to the lifting of the evacuation order.
Watson revealed that the battery plant experienced two overheating incidents back in 2021 and 2022 due to wet batteries, and a similar event occurred in a neighboring battery facility operated by PG&E in 2022.
While lithium batteries significantly enhance grid stability and decrease reliance on fossil fuels—contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions—experts caution that damaged or overheated batteries can pose substantial fire hazards. California has been a frontrunner in deploying battery storage solutions and currently boasts over 11 gigawatts of large-scale grid storage.
Despite the incident, some experts believe it won’t deter the upward trend in national grid-scale battery adoption. Timothy Fox, managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, stated that it remains uncertain whether this event will materially affect the growth of battery deployment across the nation.
The cause of this particular fire is still under investigation. Vistra asserted that all personnel were evacuated promptly upon detection of the fire, and an inquiry will commence once the blaze has been fully extinguished. “Our foremost priority is ensuring community and personnel safety, and we are grateful for the relentless support from local emergency responders,” said a spokesperson for Vistra.
Experts like Jodie Lutkenhaus, professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, emphasized the urgent need for safer battery technologies appropriate for grid use. Although some methods to improve fire prevention exist, Lutkenhaus argued that the optimal solution lies in the development of safer technologies. Research is ongoing into water-based and redox flow batteries, although these have not yet been commercially viable.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries offer a stable alternative; however, they still present some risk of fire. As Yiguang Ju, an engineering professor at Princeton University, asserted, any sizable lithium battery carries an inherent danger of combustion.
