People living near a power plant in Central California were ordered to evacuate their homes Thursday night after a fire broke out at the facility, officials said.
Fire crews were battling the blaze at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which serves as a battery storage site, a spokesperson for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office told CNN.
The incident is not connected to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, and efforts to contain the blaze are ongoing, the spokesperson confirmed.
The fire erupted at the facility around 3 p.m., and evacuation orders were issued around 6:30 p.m. due to concerns over hazardous materials and potential chemical releases, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said without detailing which materials were causing concern. More than 2,000 people were told to evacuate, the spokesperson said.
CNN reached out to the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey for details.
Santa Cruz County Public Health officials advised residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, turn off ventilation systems and limit outdoor exposure. Santa Cruz is north of Monterey.
Vistra Energy, which owns the plant, branded the facility as the “largest of its kind in the world,” boasting a capacity of 750 megawatts and 3,000 megawatt-hours following its 2023 expansion. It plays a critical role in stabilizing California’s energy grid, the company said.
The sheriff’s office deployed drones to assess the severity of the situation and monitor air quality, Monterey County Spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli told CNN. Emergency services, including sheriff’s deputies and medical teams, were fully mobilized, Pasculli added.
The fire is active with no suppression efforts underway, and firefighters believe the best course of action is to allow it to burn, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said. Drone footage revealed approximately 40% of the building housing lithium-ion batteries on the property has been consumed by flames, the spokesperson said.
CNN reached out to Vistra Energy for comment.
The company confirmed to CNN affiliate KSBW its personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility. All site personnel were safely evacuated, Vistra told KSBW. “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished,” the company said.
The Moss Landing Power Plant, about 77 miles south of San Francisco, houses tens of thousands of lithium batteries. While the US Department of Energy states these batteries play a crucial role in storing electricity generated from renewable sources like solar power, the US Fire Administration warns firefighters should be cautious of potential chemical exposure during firefighting operations as lithium-ion batteries contain volatile electrolytes, and when exposed to high temperatures or physical damage can release flammable gases.
All North Monterey County Unified School District schools and offices will be closed on Friday due to the ongoing fire at the battery plant, according to a statement. The district serves more than 4,500 K-12 students, and covers a 70 square-mile area that includes neighborhoods in Castroville, Prunedale, Moss Landing, Aromas and parts of Salinas, its website says.
Flames from a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant are seen Thursday night. – AlertCalifornia/UC San Diego
The incident comes about three years after a previous fire at the same facility, though the sheriff’s office spokesperson said he “doesn’t consider it to be related.”
On September 4, 2021, a malfunction at Moss Landing caused some battery damage. An investigation revealed the heat suppression system was accidentally triggered by low smoke from a faulty component, leading to water spraying on the battery storage areas and damaging about 7% of the batteries. There were no injuries, and the situation was managed without outside assistance, Vistra said in a 2022 statement on its investigative findings.
In October 2023, following a fire at a different battery plant owned by other company, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill mandating battery storage facilities to implement safety and communication protocols to enhance safety measures.
To assist evacuees of the Thursday fire, the Castroville Rec Center has been designated a temporary evacuation point, according to the sheriff’s office.
The National Weather Service Bay Area shared satellite images of the fire on X, highlighting visible heat signatures from the blaze.
Officials have not determined when the evacuation order will be lifted.
The area is adjacent to major ecosystems, including the Moss Landing Wildlife Area, Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve and Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
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