Fire at huge Northern California lithium battery facility forces evacuations

A fire broke out at one of the world’s largest lithium battery storage facilities in Monterey County, California, forcing evacuation orders and closing a portion of coastal Highway 1.

The fire started at around 3 p.m. at a power plant and battery facility operated by Texas-based Vistra Energy. The plant is a natural gas-powered electricity generation plant in Moss Landing, an unincorporated area of the county.

In a statement Thursday, Vistra said 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 at the Moss Landing Power Plant site.”

The release said all site personnel were safely evacuated. A company spokesperson 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 the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” the statement said. 

The fire began in the plant’s first lithium-ion battery energy storage system which went online at the end of 2020 and was expanded in 2023, becoming the world’s largest at the time, according to Energy Storage News. With the possible exposure to toxic chemicals, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office started evacuating residents in the Prunedale and Elkhorn area, just east and north of the fire.

The fire is being allowed to burn itself out and it was unknown how long that process would take.

“No active fire suppression is taking place, the batteries must burn themselves out. No water can be used. This is standard action for battery fires,” according to an update from the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center.

“Just fire,” Moss Landing resident Joel Bera told CBS News Bay Area. “That’s all and smoke. A lot of traffic here too. There was traffic about an hour ago and this guy told me they started to evacuate this area.”

Evacuation orders issued in Moss Landing area

The sheriff’s office issued the evacuation orders just after 6:30 p.m. for areas of Moss Landing south of the Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Rd. and Monterey Dunes Way, and west of Castroville Blvd. and Elk Horn Rd. to the ocean for the following zones: MRY-B037, MRY-B047, MRY-B050, MRY-B051,MRY-B053, MRY-B058, MRY-B060.

The Castroville Rec Center has been established as a Temporary Evacuation Point.

“Heed the evacuation order,” said Monterey County Communications Director Nick Pasculli. “We don’t take things lightly. There’s a reason for it and we’re concerned about their safety. Number one priority is the protection of people’s lives.”

Pasculli said roughly 1,500 residents were evacuated.

Earlier Thursday evening, Monterey County officials issued a warning for nearby residents to close windows and doors and shut off air systems in zones MRY-B047 and MRY-B053. Residents are also asked to stay out of the area to allow for access of emergency vehicles.

As of around 8:45 p.m., Santa Cruz County Public Health officials were advising residents downwind of the incident to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems. Residents are additionally advised to monitor local news and social media for additional updates.

The fire led to some school closures. Hartnell College Castroville Education Center announced it would be closed Friday due to the fire out of safety to students and staff.

North Monterey County Unified School District also made the decision to close all NMCUSD schools Friday, citing health and safety concerns for students and staff.

Weather conditions helping in Moss Landing

The one fortunate element Thursday evening was the weather. In an area known for heavy fog, it’s been clear and still for most of the night, allowing the smoke from the fire to go up and out of the area.

“The weather is cooperating, and all I can say is thank God for that,” said Pasculli. “Wind as you know what happened in Southern California can do crazy things, so we’re not dealing with that fortunately.”

The last fire at the facility was back in 2022. That was before Vistra Energy went through a major expansion to its energy storage capabilities.

Fire emergency services and hazmat crews were all present at the scene, but KION reported that those crews appeared to be letting the fire burn itself out.  As of 10:30 p.m., approximately 40% of the building containing batteries had burned. 

Monterey County officials were reportedly planning to meet Friday morning and provide additional information on the incident.

Portion of Highway 1 closed

The Santa Cruz office of the CHP announced that State Route 1 has been shut down at Salinas Road because of the fire. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and use U.S. Highway 101 as an alternate route. There was no estimated time of reopening.

Northbound Highway 1 traffic was being directed off from the Highway 183 junction with southbound traffic being directed off Struve Road.

County of Monterey Public Works has also listed road closures that are in effect around the Moss Landing area including:

Dolan Rd. at Castroville Blvd.Elkhorn at Castroville Blvd.Paradise at Walker Valley Rd.Elkhorn at Bayview Rd.Elkhorn at Strawberry Rd.Elkhorn at Hidden Valley Rd.Elkhorn Rd. between Kirby Rd. and Wauh Rd.Elkhorn at the intersection of Hall Rd. at the fire stationRusso Rd. at Dolan Rd.Trafton Rd. to Bluff Rd.

Andrea Nakano contributed to this story.

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