Battery facility fire at California power plant spurs evacuation orders

17/1/2025 16:35

A fire at a battery facility on the site of Vistra Corp's Moss Landing power plant in Monterey County, California has prompted orders for the evacuation of places nearby, the company and county officials said on Thursday.



The fire began in a building that contains lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon, an official at the Monterey County Sheriff's office said, adding that about 40% of the building had been consumed as of late Thursday.



The battery energy storage facility at Moss Landing is among the largest in the world, according to Vistra's website.



Both Vistra and the county official said that all site personnel had been evacuated and no injuries were reported.



"There are no active fire suppression efforts going on, as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn," according to the Monterey Sheriff official.



An adjacent Tesla battery facility was not affected by the fire, the official added.