Northern California lithium battery storage plant catches fire — and it’s not the first time
MOSS LANDING — A major fire at a lithium battery storage plant flared up again early Friday afternoon after authorities said it smoldered most of the morning.
The blaze continued to send smoke over the community of Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County Friday, but firefighters sounded a note of optimism.
Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District said at a Friday morning press conference that the fire, which forced evacuations around the facility, had died down significantly by 8:30 a.m., down from its peak about 12 hours earlier.
“I’m happy to announce at this point that most of the fire is out,” Mendoza said at 10 a.m. Friday. “We have very little active fire, very little products of combustion being released into the atmosphere.”
The evacuations remained in place at 11 a.m. for about 1,200 residents, who were evacuated from areas of Moss Landing south of Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Road and Monterey Dunes Way, and west of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the ocean.
The fire closed Highway 1 and raged out of control Thursday night, sending up huge flames and clouds of hazardous black smoke. It was reported around 3 p.m. at the plant, Monterey County spokesman Nicholas Pasculli said. Authorities said the highway remained closed Friday morning and likely would not be opened again until the evacuation order was lifted.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said there had been no injuries reported and that none of the air quality monitoring systems picked up on any dangerous gasses in the air.
Despite that, she said the county wanted to await the arrival of a more advanced monitoring system Friday afternoon before lifting the evacuation order.
At 11 p.m. Thursday, Monterey County’s emergency alert system advised residents to stay indoors, keep their windows and doors closed, turn off their ventilation systems and limit outdoor exposure. There were no other updates after that.
Fire crews did not engage with the fire but rather waited for it to burn out on its own. Lithium battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish. They burn at high temperatures and can emit toxic gases that can cause respiratory problems, skin burns and eye irritation.
Mendoza said the fire suppression system, which had worked in prior situations, wasn’t sufficient and the fire overtook the system.
The county set up an evacuation center at the Castroville Recreation Center. The Red Cross set up an overnight shelter that housed 37 people, three dogs and a cat.
Highway 1 was closed in both directions between Highway 183 and Struve Road. There was no estimated time to reopen the roadway.
“We are taking this incredibly seriously,” said state assemblyperson Dawn Addis, the area’s representative in the state legislature. She said she planned to visit the evacuation center again Friday.
On Thursday night, Pasculli said the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had called other agencies in the county to help with the emergency.
“It’s a major incident,” he said. “All the resources in the county and our neighboring jurisdictions have been deployed to assist with this incident.”
The facility, owned by Vistra Energy, a Texas company, is one of the largest battery storage plants in the world. It holds tens of thousands of lithium batteries, which are used to store electricity from solar power and other sources generated during the day for use at night. Such battery storage plants are a key part of California’s efforts to shift most of its electricity generation to renewable sources.
Vistra sells the electricity stored there to PG&E, which also owns a separate 182-megawatt battery storage plant on the north side of the site that has 256 Tesla battery “Megapacks”. That facility did not appear to be burning Thursday evening.
The California ISO, which operated the state’s electrical grid, said the agency was working with officials to determine what consequences there may be as a result of the blaze.
“The power grid remains stable,” ISO spokesperson Anne Gonzales wrote in an email. “There are no impacts to system operations or reliablity.”
The cause of the fire is still unknown and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church called for a full independent investigation.
“This is the fourth fire since 2019,” Church said. “This has got to be the last one.”
The facility is located on the site of a now-shuttered 1950s-era PG&E Moss Landing natural gas plant visible for its huge smokestacks near Moss Landing Harbor. The first phase, comprising 300 megawatts, was completed in 2020, and it was expanded to 750 megawatts in 2023.
Personnel at the Vistra plant called the North Monterey County Fire Protection District for assistance Thursday afternoon after a fire was detected in the Phase I energy storage facility, company spokesperson Jenny Lyon said in an email to this news organization.
All personnel were safely evacuated, according to Lyon.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel,” she said, “and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.”
Lyon said the cause of the fire has not been determined, but an investigation will begin once it is extinguished.
The facility has been the site of other fires before.
Fires broke out at the Vistra plant on Sept. 4, 2021, and Feb 14, 2022. Investigations showed that they were caused by a malfunction in a fire sprinkler system, which released water and caused several of the units to overheat.
Then in September 2022, a fire broke out at the PG&E Elkhorn battery plant. Police closed Highway 1 for 12 hours. An MOSS LANDING — A large fire at a lithium battery storage business flared up again early Friday afternoon after officials claimed it smoldered much of the morning.
The flames continued to spread smoke over the city of Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough region in northern Monterey County Friday, but firefighters sounded a note of confidence.
Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District stated at a Friday morning news conference that the fire, which ordered evacuations surrounding the complex, had calmed down substantially by 8:30 a.m., down from its height approximately 12 hours earlier.
“I’m happy to announce at this point that most of the fire is out,” Mendoza said around 10 a.m. Friday. “We have very little active fire, very little products of combustion being released into the atmosphere.”
The evacuations remained in effect at 11 a.m. for around 1,200 people, who were evacuated from neighborhoods of Moss Landing south of Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Road and Monterey Dunes Way, and west of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the beach.
The fire stopped Highway 1 and burned out of control Thursday night, putting up massive flames and clouds of dangerous black smoke.
It was detected at 3 p.m. at the facility, Monterey County spokesman Nicholas Pasculli said. Authorities said the roadway remained blocked Friday morning and likely would not be opened again until the evacuation order was removed.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said there had been no injuries reported and that none of the air quality monitoring systems picked up on any harmful gasses in the air.
Despite that, she said the county intended to await the arrival of a more sophisticated monitoring system Friday afternoon before withdrawing the evacuation order.
At 11 p.m. Thursday, Monterey County’s emergency warning system instructed people to remain inside, keep their windows and doors closed, switch off their ventilation systems and minimize outside exposure. There were no additional updates after then.
Fire personnel did not engage with the fire but rather waited for it to burn out on its own. Lithium battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish.
They burn at high temperatures and may generate hazardous fumes that can cause breathing difficulties, skin burns and eye irritation.
Mendoza said the fire suppression system, which had functioned in earlier scenarios, wasn’t adequate and the fire overcame the system.
The county put up an evacuation center at the Castroville Recreation Center. The Red Cross put up an overnight shelter that hosted 37 people, three dogs and a cat.
Highway 1 was blocked in both directions between Highway 183 and Struve Road. There was no anticipated time to reopen the route.
“We are taking this incredibly seriously,” said state assemblyperson Dawn Addis, the area’s representative in the state legislature. She said she expected to visit the evacuation facility again Friday.
On Thursday night, Pasculli said the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had summoned other authorities in the county to assist with the situation.
“It’s a major incident,” he remarked. “All the resources in the county and our neighboring jurisdictions have been deployed to assist with this incident.”
The facility, operated by Vistra Energy, a Texas business, is one of the biggest battery storage installations in the world. It stores tens of thousands of lithium batteries, which are used to store energy from solar power and other sources produced during the day for usage at night.
Such battery storage units are a significant aspect of California’s ambitions to transition most of its power output to renewable sources.
Vistra sells the power stored there to PG&E, which also owns a second 182-megawatt battery storage facility on the north side of the property that includes 256 Tesla battery “Megapacks”. That facility did not seem to be burning Thursday evening.
The California ISO, which ran the state’s electricity system, said the agency was working with authorities to evaluate what ramifications there may be as a result of the incident.
“The power grid remains stable,” ISO representative Anne Gonzales noted in an email. “There are no impacts to system operations or reliablity.”
The cause of the incident is still unclear and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church asked for a comprehensive independent inquiry.
“This is the fourth fire since 2019,” Church stated. “This has got to be the last one.”
The facility is built on the site of a now-shuttered 1950s-era PG&E Moss Landing natural gas plant noticeable for its towering smokestacks near Moss Landing Harbor. The first phase, including 300 megawatts, was finished in 2020, and it was extended to 750 megawatts in 2023.
Personnel at the Vistra factory phoned the North Monterey County Fire Protection District for help Thursday afternoon after a fire was spotted in the Phase I energy storage facility, company spokeswoman Jenny Lyon said in an email to this news organization.
All staff were safely evacuated, according to Lyon.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel,” she stated, “and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.”
Lyon said the cause of the fire has not been identified, but an inquiry would commence after it is extinguished.
The plant has been the location of several fires before.
Fires broke out at the Vistra factory on Sept. 4, 2021, and Feb 14, 2022. Investigations found that they were caused by a fault in a fire sprinkler system, which discharged water and caused some of the units to overheat.
Then in September 2022, a fire broke out at the PG&E Elkhorn battery factory. Police blocked Highway 1 for 12 hours.
An inquiry determined it was caused by an illegally placed vent cover on one of the 256 units, which enabled rainfall to seep in and short out the batteries.
There were no injuries to firemen, PG&E staff or the public.
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