MOSS LANDING, Calif. (Diya TV) — A massive fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities, forced the evacuation of 1,700 residents and shut down a portion of Highway 1 on Friday.
The fire, which started Thursday afternoon, sent plumes of toxic smoke into the air, prompting emergency responders to order evacuations in Moss Landing and the nearby Elkhorn Slough area. By early Friday, Monterey County spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli said the blaze remained contained within the facility and had not spread beyond its concrete structure.
The power plant is 77 miles south of San Francisco, home to tens of thousands of lithium batteries that are used to store renewable energy. Although essential to green energy solutions, lithium battery fires are notoriously impossible to extinguish. Fire crews decided to sit back and watch rather than engage the flames directly; the fire eventually burned itself out.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it. This is a disaster,” Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told KSBW-TV, though he expressed confidence the fire would not spread.
Vistra Energy, the Texas-based company that owns the plant, evacuated all personnel safely and pledged to investigate the cause once the fire was extinguished. “Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel,” Vistra spokesperson Jenny Lyon said in a statement.
The fire follows previous incidents at the facility in 2021 and 2022, attributed to a sprinkler system malfunction that caused overheating.
North Monterey County Unified School District canceled classes and office operations Friday, citing safety concerns.
