A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people.

The fire at the Vistra Energy VST lithium battery plant in Moss Landing generated huge flames and significant amounts of smoke Thursday but had diminished significantly by Friday, Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County said. Vistra is based in Texas.

MOSS LANDING, Calif. -- A major fire Friday at one of the world's largest battery storage plants in Northern California sent up flames of toxic smoke, leading to the evacuation of 1,700 people and the closure of a major highway. The blaze in Moss Landing started Thursday sending towering flames and plumes of black smoke into the sky. But by Friday morning, the flames and smoke had significantly diminished in size, Fire Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County said. "There's very little, if...

MOSS LANDING — A major fire at a lithium battery storage plant flared up again early Friday afternoon after authorities said it smoldered most of the morning. The blaze continued to send smoke over the community of Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County Friday, but firefighters sounded a note of optimism. Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District said at a Friday morning press conference that the fire, which forced evacuations around the facility, had died down significantly by 8:30 a.m., down...

The fire is still going as of Friday at the Moss Landing Power Plant in northern Monterey County, though it is largely contained — but parts of Highway 1 remain closed and at least 1,200 residents had to be evacuated. Just as wildfires are raging in Southern California, NorCal got its own dose of a terrible fire and evacuations Thursday night, which continue into Friday. The Bay Area News Group reports that a huge fire at the lithium battery facility at Monterey County’s Moss Landing Power Plant forced the evacuation...

Fire at Vistra Moss Landing battery storage facility spurs evacuations: See the damage A view of flames at Moss Landing Power Plant that located on Pacific Coast Highway in Moss Landing of Monterey Bay, CA, Jan. 16, 2025. A fire at a battery power plant in Central California triggered evacuation orders and road closures Thursday night. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office issued evacuation orders Jan. 16, 2025 and health officials urged residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limited outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems.A view of...

Highway 1 has been shut down between Molera Road and Struve Road, in addition to several local roads. The North Monterey County Unified School District, which services several cities in the area, also announced a closure in response to the fire. According to county officials, there are some concerns about toxic hydrofluoride fumes being released into the air by the fire and smoke. County and Vistra Corporation officials are observing changes in air quality and will keep residents updated. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and...

California’s problem with fires, where wildland blazes already have scorched some 40,000 acres and consumed 12,000 homes and other buildings in Los Angeles, has gotten worse. There now is a fire that has hit a lithium battery storage site in Monterey County, and there are concerns it will jeopardize California’s power grid. A report from RedState explained, “There’s a huge fire Thursday night at a lithium battery plant in northern Monterey County. What’s a little lithium smoke in the air in the name of progress, right? “Highway 1 is closed...

This doesn't seem as if it's merely chickens coming home to roost in California, whatever size of the massive flock. It's going to feel like every kettle of vultures, condo of condors, and murder of carrion crows has set up house in the air above, just waiting for an open spot to glide in and feast on yet another casualty smoking in the wreckage. The 'Oh, it's climate change!' excuses started falling as fast as the flames raced down hillsides. Santa Ana winds have always happened. Fires in Los Angeles...

A fire burning at the world's largest battery storage plant in Northern California that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people continued to burn Friday morning, according to reports. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. This is a disaster, is what it is," Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told KSBW-TV. He said the fire is not likely to spread beyond the concrete barrier surrounding the building. The blaze at the Moss Landing Power Plant, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, erupted Thursday afternoon, and evacuations were ordered for about...

If the raging wildfires across Los Angeles County weren't enough, California faced another crisis overnight as one of the world's largest battery storage facilities, situated about 100 miles south of San Francisco, caught fire, triggering area-wide evacuations. AP News reported that a fire broke out Thursday at the Moss Landing Power Plant, a natural gas-fired generation plant with thousands of lithium batteries for energy storage. Fires involving lithium batteries, as seen with electric vehicles, are notoriously difficult to extinguish and could burn uncontrollably for days.