A raging fire as broken out at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities in California.
A fire at a battery facility on the site of Vistra Corp’s Moss Landing power plant in Monterey County, California, prompted orders for the evacuation of places nearby, the company and county officials said on Thursday.
The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon, an official at the Monterey County Sheriff’s office said, adding that about 40 per cent of the building had been consumed as of late Thursday.
Both Vistra and the county official said that all site personnel had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.
‘There are no active fire suppression efforts going on, as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn,’ according to the Monterey Sheriff official.
Eyewitness video showed flames and smoke billowing from the facility as the sky grew orange around it.
Hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate, and part of a nearby highway was closed, local media reported.
Burning fire at the site of Vistra Corp’s power plant in Moss Landing, California, on January 16, 2025
The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon
Eyewitness videos captured smoke and flames billowing into the sky as the fire raged on
Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished
Fire crews remained on site monitoring the blaze, and in the air drones were deployed to see the extent of the damage.
No fire suppression took place, it was reported, as batteries must burn out themselves with no water being used.
Authorities stated that an investigation into the fire’s cause would begin once the blaze was fully extinguished.
Vistra Corp said yesterday in a statement to KION: ‘There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.
‘Earlier this afternoon, Vistra 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. All site personnel were safely evacuated.
‘The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished’.
The Moss Landing site is a key facility for renewable energy storage, making the incident a setback for Vistra and its sustainability initiatives.
An adjacent Tesla battery facility was not affected by the fire, the official added.
Some roads, including the Highway 1, were closed in the affected areas.
The plant is located about 100 miles south of San Francisco and is not close to the ongoing wildfires in the southern Californian city of Los Angeles.
The state has been on alert since the Los Angeles fires started about 10 days ago and has killed at least 27 people.
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