Evacuations lifted as massive Northern California lithium battery facility fire continues to burn
Authorities in Monterey County, California, canceled all evacuations Friday night, one day after a fire broke out at one of the world’s largest lithium battery storage facilities.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced the news shortly after 6 p.m. local time. Health officials are still advising residents near the Vistra Power Plant in Moss Landing, about 90 miles south of San Francisco, to limit outdoor exposure and keep windows and doors closed until further notice.
Friday night’s advisory came hours after fires that started earlier Thursday evening erupted again. The fire closed a portion of Coastal Highway 1, which remains closed to traffic as the fire continues to burn.
CBS News Bay Area
Monterey County officials held a second news conference Friday afternoon after the latest fire, which broke out around 1:45 p.m., sent another round of flames and black smoke into the sky.
Councilmember Dawn Addis and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who spoke at an earlier news conference, addressed the media after the incident broke out and spoke to constituents. Safety concerns.
“There have been three incidents here. There’s been a PG&E incident. Now is really the time to put a stop to this, take a breather and make sure that we can assure the public that they’re safe,” Addis said. “This incident does look and feel very different. It’s a different configuration and the fire is different.”
However, by around 3 p.m., the fire had subsided again and the black smoke from the fire had turned white.
Also Friday afternoon, CBS News Bay Area obtained a statement from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the fire at the Moss Landing facility.
“Last night, the Monterey Fire Department requested technical assistance from the EPA to provide perimeter air monitoring for the Vistra Moss Landing Power Plant in Moss Landing, Monterey County. EPA and contractors mobilized and arrived on site. Others from EPA Personnel, including four air monitoring experts, and equipment are currently on the way, and the EPA has joined the unified command, which is currently led by the Monterey Fire Department.
Incident Command is making evacuation and safety decisions. The EPA is supporting local authorities by collecting air monitoring data to help fire incident command and local public health officials make these decisions. Please contact your local fire department for more information. ”
The fire broke out at a power plant and battery facility operated by Vistra Energy in Texas around 3 p.m. Thursday. The power plant is a natural gas-fired power plant located in Moss Landing County, an unincorporated area of ​​the county.
Vistra said in a statement Thursday that its personnel “requested assistance from the Northern Monterey County Fire Protection District after discovering a fire at the 300-megawatt Phase 1 energy storage facility at the Moss Landing power plant site.”
All personnel at the scene were safely evacuated, the release said. A company spokesman said: “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.”
“Our top priority is the safety of our community and people, and Vistra is deeply grateful for the continued assistance of local emergency responders,” the statement said.
The fire started in the plant’s first lithium-ion battery energy storage system, which came online in late 2020 and was expanded in 2023 to become the world’s largest at the time. According to energy storage news. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office began evacuating residents in the Prunedale and Elkhorn areas east and north of the fire due to possible exposure to toxic chemicals.
The fire is being allowed to extinguish itself, and it’s unclear how long that process will take.
Kion
An update from the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center states: “Without aggressive fire suppression measures, the battery will certainly burn itself out. Water should not be used. This is standard action for battery fires.”
“Just a fire,” Moss Landing resident Joel Bera told CBS Bay Area News. “That’s it, there’s smoke. There’s a lot of traffic here, too. There was traffic about an hour ago, This person told me they were starting to evacuate the area.”
Monterey County communications director Nick Pasculli said about 1,500 residents were evacuated.
In neighboring Santa Cruz County, public health officials also advised residents downwind from the incident to stay indoors, close doors and windows, limit outdoor exposure and turn off ventilation systems. Additionally, residents are advised to monitor local news and social media for additional updates.
The fires caused some schools to close. Hartnell College’s Castroville Education Center announced it will close Friday for the safety of students, staff and faculty due to the fire.
The Northern Monterey County Unified School District also decided Friday to close all NMCUSD schools, citing health and safety concerns for students and staff.
Weather conditions helping Moss Landing
The only good thing about Thursday night was the weather. In an area known for heavy fog, it was mostly clear and silent throughout the night, allowing smoke from the fires to rise and leave the area.
“The weather cooperated, and all I can say is thank God,” Pasculi said. “As you know, the winds that happen in Southern California can do crazy things, so luckily we didn’t have to deal with that.”
At a press conference Friday morning, Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who represents District 2, where the fire occurred, said: Calling the incident “a worst-case scenario for a disaster.”
“This is really more than just a fire. This is really a wake-up call for the industry,” Church said. “If we’re going to continue to develop sustainable energy, we need to have safe battery systems.”
Church went on to note that his constituents have questions about how and why the fires occurred and pledged accountability and transparency when it comes to information about the fires and their impacts.
Church also noted that the facility is located at the entrance to Elkhorn Slough, an environmentally sensitive wetland.
North County Fire Protection District Chief Joel Mendoza said the fire was largely out as of Friday morning, but video from the power plant showed it was still burning fiercely and sending a billowing plume of smoke above the facility.
Mendoza said the fire was burning at a rate of 1 to 5 percent on Friday morning compared to Thursday night when the fire was at its worst between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
KeyPIX
The last time a fire broke out at the facility was in 2022. That was before Vistra Energy massively expanded its energy storage capabilities.
Fire emergency services and hazmat crews are on scene, but Reporting by KION, a CBS affiliate in Monterey Those workers appeared to have allowed the fire to burn itself out. As of 10:30 Thursday night, about 40 percent of the battery building had burned.
Highway 1 partially closed
The CHP Santa Cruz office announced that State Highway 1 at Salinas Road has been closed due to the fire. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use U.S. Highway 101 as an alternative route. As of the 21st, there is no estimated reopening time.
Northbound Highway 1 traffic is directed from the Highway 183 interchange and southbound traffic is directed from Struve Road.
Monterey County Public Works also lists road closures in effect around the Moss Landing area, including:
1.516 Dolan Road (Pick-n-Pull)
2. Struve Road Highway 1
3. Route 1 Potrero Road
4. Highway 1 Moss Landing Road North
*Residential access only.
Andrea Nakano contributed to this story.
