Fire at massive Calif. battery storage facility forces over 2,000 evacuations

A fire at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities, the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County, California, forced hundreds of residents to evacuate on the night of Thursday, Jan. 16. Located approximately 100 miles south of San Francisco, the facility houses tens of thousands of lithium-ion batteries, including some owned by Tesla.

Local authorities reported that around 2,000 residents have been told to evacuate, while others were instructed to shelter in place.

Lithium-ion battery fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish once ignited, prompting a large-scale response from firefighters across multiple counties, though they are not engaging with the fire and are waiting for it to burn out on its own.

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Nearby offices and schools were closed as a precaution, and Highway 1 was shut down to traffic. Residents as far as Santa Cruz County were advised to keep windows and doors closed to limit outdoor exposure to potential hazards. Officials described the incident as a “disaster,” but stated that the fire is expected to remain contained within the plant’s concrete structure.

Vistra Energy, the owner of the facility and the largest competitive power generator in the U.S., said that the cause of the fire “has not yet been determined.” The company added that an investigation will be launched once the situation is under control.

“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” Vistra Energy said in a statement. “All site personnel were safely evacuated.”

Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims his company’s technology is not the reason behind the fire, posting on X that their Megapacks at the facility were “operating well.” Musk also asserted that any media outlets attributing blame to Tesla over the incident were false.