MOSS LANDING, Calif. — Early Friday morning, hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate and part of Highway 1 in Northern California was closed following the outbreak of a significant fire at one of the largest battery storage facilities worldwide.
The fire ignited Thursday afternoon, producing large flames and thick black smoke, leading to an evacuation order for roughly 1,500 individuals from Moss Landing and the surrounding Elkhorn Slough area, according to reports.
As dawn broke on Friday, the blaze continued to rage, though there was some progress made in containment efforts. Officials indicated that the fire had not spread beyond the facility as of late Thursday. A spokesperson for Monterey County, Nicholas Pasculli, noted that while a few dozen evacuees remained at a temporary center, most had chosen to stay with friends or family or had made alternative arrangements.
Located approximately 77 miles south of San Francisco, the Moss Landing Power Plant is owned by Vistra Energy, a company based in Texas, and it houses tens of thousands of lithium batteries. These batteries play a crucial role in storing electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar power; however, fires involving lithium batteries can be exceptionally difficult to extinguish.
“This is undeniably a disaster,” Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church remarked during an interview, although he expressed confidence that the fire would be contained within the facility’s concrete structure.
The county’s Board of Supervisors convened for an emergency meeting Friday morning to discuss the situation.
Previous incidents at the Vistra facility occurred in 2021 and 2022, triggered by a malfunction in the fire sprinkler system that caused certain units to overheat. The cause of the most recent fire remains uncertain. In a statement from Vistra, officials confirmed that everyone on site was safely evacuated once the blaze was identified. An investigation into the cause of the fire will commence after it has been extinguished.
“Our primary concern is the safety of our community and our staff, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of our local emergency responders,” stated Jenny Lyon, a spokesperson for Vistra.
In response to the fire, the North Monterey County Unified School District announced the closure of all schools and administrative offices on Friday.