Hundreds ordered to evacuate as fire erupts at huge California battery storage plant

BBC.com

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate and part of Highway 1 in Northern California was closed when a major fire erupted Thursday afternoon at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants.
The Moss Landing Power Plant, located about 77 miles (about 124 kilometers) south of San Francisco, is owned by Texas-company Vistra Energy and contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries.
But he said he did not expect the fire to spread beyond the concrete building it was enclosed in.
There were fires at the Vistra plant in 2021 and 2022 that were caused by a fire sprinkler system malfunction that resulted in some units overheating, according to The Mercury News.
North Monterey County Unified School District announced that all schools and offices would be closed Friday due to the fire.

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Los Angeles, California. (AP) — A large fire broke out Thursday afternoon at one of the biggest battery storage facilities in the world, in Northern California, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate and closing a portion of Highway 1.

About 1,500 people were told to evacuate Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area on Thursday night as the fire caused black smoke and towering flames and showed no signs of abating, according to The Mercury News.

About 77 miles (124 kilometers) south of San Francisco, the Texas-based Vistra Energy owns the Moss Landing Power Plant, which houses tens of thousands of lithium batteries. Although the batteries are crucial for storing electricity from renewable energy sources like solar power, they can quickly catch fire and be very challenging to extinguish.

“It cannot be sugar-coated. Glenn Church, the supervisor of Monterey County, told KSBW-TV, “This is a disaster, that’s what it is.”. However, he claimed he did not anticipate the fire spreading outside of the concrete structure it was contained in.

According to The Mercury News, a fire sprinkler system malfunction that led to some units overheating was the cause of fires at the Vistra plant in 2021 and 2022.

The cause of this most recent fire was unknown. According to a statement from Vistra, everyone at the location was safely evacuated once it was discovered. An investigation will start once the fire has been extinguished.

“The community’s and our employees’ safety is our first priority, and Vistra is extremely grateful for the ongoing support of our local emergency responders,” said Jenny Lyon, a Vistra spokesperson.

Due to the fire, the North Monterey County Unified School District declared that all offices and schools would be closed on Friday.

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