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By Stephanie K. Baer Updated Jan. 16, 2025 • 9:13pm Published Jan. 16, 2025 • 8:57pm
Officials issued evacuation orders Thursday night after a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant.
Monterey County officials urged residents in the area to close their windows and doors and turn off air conditioning systems “out of an abundance of caution.” The natural gas-powered plant, owned by Vistra Energy, is the site of one of the largest lithium-battery storage facilities in the world.
Jenny Lyon, a spokesperson for Vistra, said plant staff alerted emergency responders after detecting a fire in the Moss 300-MW energy storage facility. All employees on site were safely evacuated.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” Lyon said in an emailed statement. “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.”
At about 6:30 p.m., North Monterey County Fire Chief Joel Mendoza told the Monterey County Weekly that the fire was still actively burning through the building.
“Essentially what we are doing is backing out of the facility,” Mendoza said.
The power plant was originally built in 1950 and owned by Pacific Gas & Electric, which now buys the electricity stored at the site, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The utility still owns another battery storage facility on the north side of the site that is powered by Tesla battery packs. The newspaper reported that the facility did not appear to be burning Thursday night.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said full road closures were in place at Dolan Road and Castroville Boulevard, as well as on Highway 1 at Salinas Road and Merritt Street. An evacuation center has been set up at the Castroville Rec Center, located at 11261 Crane St.
KION News Channel 46 reported that crews responded to the fire around 3 p.m. and that heavy smoke was blanketing the sky.
Fires have broken out at the energy storage plant in recent years. In September 2022, a fire at the PG&E battery plant shut down Highway 1 for 12 hours after rainwater shorted out the batteries, according to the Sentinel. No one was injured.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
By Stephanie K. Baer Updated Jan. 16, 2025 • 9:13pm Published Jan. 16, 2025 • 8:57pm
Officials issued evacuation orders Thursday night after a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant.
Monterey County officials urged residents in the area to close their windows and doors and turn off air conditioning systems “out of an abundance of caution.” The natural gas-powered plant, owned by Vistra Energy, is the site of one of the largest lithium-battery storage facilities in the world.
Jenny Lyon, a spokesperson for Vistra, said plant staff alerted emergency responders after detecting a fire in the Moss 300-MW energy storage facility. All employees on site were safely evacuated.
“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” Lyon said in an emailed statement. “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.”
At about 6:30 p.m., North Monterey County Fire Chief Joel Mendoza told the Monterey County Weekly that the fire was still actively burning through the building.
“Essentially what we are doing is backing out of the facility,” Mendoza said.
The power plant was originally built in 1950 and owned by Pacific Gas & Electric, which now buys the electricity stored at the site, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The utility still owns another battery storage facility on the north side of the site that is powered by Tesla battery packs. The newspaper reported that the facility did not appear to be burning Thursday night.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said full road closures were in place at Dolan Road and Castroville Boulevard, as well as on Highway 1 at Salinas Road and Merritt Street. An evacuation center has been set up at the Castroville Rec Center, located at 11261 Crane St.
KION News Channel 46 reported that crews responded to the fire around 3 p.m. and that heavy smoke was blanketing the sky.
Fires have broken out at the energy storage plant in recent years. In September 2022, a fire at the PG&E battery plant shut down Highway 1 for 12 hours after rainwater shorted out the batteries, according to the Sentinel. No one was injured.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
