Officials in Monterey County, California, lifted all evacuations Friday night, a day after a fire broke out at one of the world’s largest lithium battery storage facilities.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement shortly after 6 p.m. local time. Health officials still advised residents near the Moss Landing-Vistra power plant, about 90 miles south of San Francisco, to limit outdoor exposure and keep doors and windows closed until further notice.
Friday night’s announcement came hours after a fire that started Thursday evening reignited. Due to the fire, a portion of Highway 1 along the coast was closed, and the road remains closed due to the ongoing fire.
CBS News Bay Area
Monterey County officials held a second press conference Friday afternoon after a flare-up around 1:45 p.m. again sent flames and black smoke into the sky.
Rep. Dawn Addis and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who spoke at an earlier news conference, addressed the media after the blaze and expressed concern for voter safety.
“We’ve had three incidents here, we’ve had a PG&E incident, and now it’s time to stop the incidents and take a breather and ensure the public is safe,” Addis said. “This incident has a completely different look and feel. The circumstances are different, the fire is different.”
However, by around 3 p.m., the flames had subsided again, and the black smoke coming from the fire had turned white.
Also Friday afternoon, CBS News Bay Area obtained a statement from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the Moss Landing facility fire.
“Last night, the Monterey Fire Department requested technical assistance from the EPA to perform ambient air monitoring at the Vistra Moss Landing Power Plant in Moss Landing, Monterey County. EPA and contractors were mobilized and arrived on scene. Air Monitoring Additional EPA personnel, including four experts The fire remains active and EPA is now part of a unified command command led by the Monterey Fire Department.
Decisions regarding evacuation and safety are made by the Incident Command. EPA assists local authorities by collecting air monitoring data to assist Fire and Incident Command and local public health authorities in their decisions. Contact your local fire department for more information. ”
The fire broke out around 3 p.m. Thursday at a power plant and battery storage facility operated by Texas-based Vistra Energy. The plant is a natural gas-fired power plant located in Moss Landing, an unincorporated area of the county.
Vistra said in a statement Thursday that “officials requested assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was discovered at the 300-megawatt Phase 1 Energy Storage Facility on the grounds of the Moss Landing Power Plant.”
The statement said all staff at the scene were safely evacuated. A company spokesperson said, “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but we will begin an investigation once the fire is extinguished.”
“Our top priority is the safety of our community and employees, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued support of local emergency response forces,” the statement said.
According to Energy Storage News, the fire occurred in the factory’s first lithium-ion battery energy storage system, which went online in late 2020 and was expanded in 2023, making it the world’s largest at the time. Due to possible exposure to toxic chemicals, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office began evacuating residents in the Prunedale and Elkhorn areas, just east and north of the fire.
The fire was left to burn out naturally, and it’s unclear how long that process will take.
Kion
“No active firefighting efforts are underway. The battery should burn out on its own. Water is not available. This is standard procedure for battery fires,” according to an update from the Monterey County Emergency Operations Center.
“Just shoot,” Moss Landing resident Joel Vera told CBS News Bay Area. “That’s it. There was a lot of traffic here as well. This guy told me there was a traffic jam about an hour ago and they started evacuating the area.”
Monterey County Public Information Director Nick Pasculi said about 1,500 residents were evacuated.
In neighboring Santa Cruz County, public health officials there also advised residents downwind of the incident to stay indoors, close windows and doors, limit outdoor exposure and turn off ventilation systems. did. Residents are also encouraged to monitor local news and social media for the latest information.
The fire caused some schools to close. Hartnell College’s Castroville Education Center announced it will close Friday for the safety of students and staff due to a fire.
The North Monterey County Unified School District also made the decision to close all NMCUSD schools on Friday, citing health and safety concerns for students and staff.
Weather conditions conducive to Moss Landing
The only lucky factor Thursday night was the weather. The area, known for its dense fog, had a mostly clear and calm night with smoke from the fires billowing out of the area.
“The weather is cooperative. All I can say is thank God,” Pascri said. “As you know what happened in Southern California, wind can do crazy things, so fortunately we’re not dealing with that.”
At a press conference Friday morning, Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who represents District 2, where the fire occurred, said: He called the incident “a worst-case scenario for disaster.”
“This is more than just a fire. This is really a wake-up call for our industry,” Church said. “And if we’re going to move forward with sustainable energy, we need to have safe battery systems in place.”
Church went on to note that voters have questions about how and why the fires started, and promised accountability and transparency regarding information about the fires and their impact.
Church also noted that the facility is located at the mouth of the Elkhorn Slough, an environmentally sensitive wetland.
North County Fire Protection District Chief Joel Mendoza said the fire was mostly contained as of Friday morning, but footage from the power plant showed the fire still burning heavily and a plume of smoke rising above the facility. said.
Mendoza said the fire was burning at a rate of 1% to 5% Friday morning, compared to the height of the fire Thursday night from 8pm to 10pm.
KPIX
The last fire at this facility was in 2022. That was before Vistra Energy significantly expanded its energy storage capabilities.
All firefighters and hazardous materials crews were on the scene, but Monterey CBS affiliate KION reported that those crews appeared to be allowing the fire to self-extinguish. As of 10:30 p.m. Thursday, about 40 percent of the building containing the batteries was on fire.
Part of National Route 1 is closed to traffic
The CHP Santa Cruz office announced that State Route 1 was closed at Salinas Street due to the fire. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and use U.S. Highway 101 as an alternate route. At this time, the scheduled reopening date has not been determined.
Northbound Highway 1 traffic was being directed out of the Highway 183 junction and southbound traffic was being directed out of Struve Road.
The Monterey County Department of Public Works also lists the following road closures in effect around the Moss Landing area:
1.516 Dolan Road (Pick and Pull)
2. Highway 1, Struve Road
3. Highway 1, Potrero Road
4. Moss Landing Road heading north on Highway 1.
*Access is only available in residential areas.
Andrea Nakano contributed to this story.
