More than 1,000 people were advised to evacuate a community in Northern California after a large fire broke out. Thursday afternoon at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants.
Video circulating on social media shows smoke and flames billowing from the Moss Landing power plant Thursday night in the community of Moss Landing, located about 25 miles south of Santa Cruz.
the plant It is owned by Texas company Vistra Energy and contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries, which are important for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar power, but which can be extremely difficult to put out if they catch fire.
As the fire sparked huge flames and black smoke and showed no signs of abating Thursday night, about 1,500 people were told to leave Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area, The Mercury News reported.
In an update shared Friday morning, the Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resiliency said the fire does not pose a significant imminent threat and people can resume normal activities.
“Sensitive groups, including those with respiratory difficulties, should continue to monitor local air conditions,” the county said in the update posted on X. “While at home, we recommend keeping doors and windows closed until further notice, especially those residents who live closest to the fire.”
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it. This is a disaster, that’s what it is,” Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told KSBW-TV. But he said he did not expect the fire to spread beyond the concrete building in which it was enclosed.
There were fires at the Vistra plant in 2021 and 2022 that were caused by a fire sprinkler system malfunction that caused some units to overheat, according to The Mercury News.
It was unclear what caused this latest fire. Vistra said in a statement that after it was detected, everyone at the scene was safely evacuated. Once the fire is extinguished, an investigation will begin.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our staff, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency services,” Vistra spokesperson Jenny Lyon said in a statement.
The North Monterey County Unified School District announced that all schools and offices would be closed Friday due to the fire.
