Authorities in Monterey County, California lifted all evacuations Friday evening, someday after a fireplace broke out at one of many world’s largest lithium battery storage amenities.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Workplace made the announcement shortly after 6 p.m. native time. Well being officers nonetheless suggested residents close to the Moss Touchdown Vistra Energy Plant, situated about 90 miles south of San Francisco, to restrict outside publicity and to maintain doorways and home windows closed till additional discover.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Workplace has lifted all Evacuation Orders for the Moss Touchdown Vistra Energy Plant Fireplace, efficient instantly. USEPA performed cooperative high quality monitoring with environmental companies and knowledge confirms no menace to human well being. Businesses proceed to… pic.twitter.com/yDNhOl0pw1
— Monterey Co Sheriff (@MCoSheriff) January 18, 2025
Friday night’s announcement comes hours after the hearth, which started early Thursday night, flared up once more. The fireplace closed a portion of coastal Freeway 1 that continues to be shut right down to visitors as the hearth continues to burn.
Monterey County officers held a second press convention Friday afternoon after the newest flare-up at round 1:45 p.m. produced one other spherical of flames and black smoke taking pictures into the sky.
Assemblymember Daybreak Addis and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who spoke on the earlier press convention, addressed the media after the flare-up and voicing security issues for his or her constituents.
“There’s been three incidents right here. There’s been the PG&E incident. It is actually time to place a cease to it and take a breath and make it possible for we are able to guarantee the general public they’re secure,” stated Addis. “This incident does feel and look very completely different. It is a completely different configuration, the hearth is completely different.”
Nevertheless, by round 3 p.m., the flames had as soon as once more subsided and the black smoke being produced by the hearth turned white.
Additionally on Friday afternoon, CBS Information Bay Space obtained a press release from the Environmental Safety Company concerning the Moss Touchdown facility fireplace.
“Final evening, the Monterey Fireplace Division requested EPA technical help to supply perimeter air monitoring on the Vistra Moss Touchdown Energy Plant in Moss Touchdown, Monterey County. EPA and contractors have been mobilized and arrived on scene. Further EPA personnel, together with 4 air monitoring specialists, and tools are at the moment en route. The fireplace is ongoing, and EPA has joined Unified Command. At the moment, Unified Command is led by the Metropolis of Monterey’s Fireplace Division.
Evacuation and security selections are being made by the Incident Command. EPA is supporting the native authorities by gathering air monitoring knowledge to assist the hearth Incident Command and native public well being officers these selections. Please attain out to the native fireplace division for extra data.”
The fireplace began at round 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon at an influence plant and battery facility operated by Texas-based Vistra Power. The plant is a pure gas-powered electrical energy technology plant in Moss Touchdown, an unincorporated space of the county.
In a press release Thursday, Vistra stated its personnel “referred to as for help from the North Monterey County Fireplace District after a fireplace was detected within the 300-MW Section I power storage facility on the Moss Touchdown Energy Plant web site.”
The discharge stated all web site personnel have been safely evacuated. An organization spokesperson stated, “The reason for the hearth has not but been decided, however an investigation will start as soon as the hearth is extinguished.”
“Our prime precedence is the security of the neighborhood and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued help of our native emergency responders,” the assertion stated.
The fireplace started within the plant’s first lithium-ion battery power storage system which went on-line on the finish of 2020 and was expanded in 2023, changing into the world’s largest on the time, based on Power Storage Information. With the potential publicity to poisonous chemical substances, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Workplace began evacuating residents within the Prunedale and Elkhorn space, simply east and north of the hearth.
The fireplace is being allowed to burn itself out and it was unknown how lengthy that course of would take.
“No lively fireplace suppression is going down, the batteries should burn themselves out. No water can be utilized. That is normal motion for battery fires,” based on an replace from the Monterey County Emergency Operations Heart.
“Simply fireplace,” Moss Touchdown resident Joel Bera instructed CBS Information Bay Space. “That is all and smoke. Plenty of visitors right here too. There was visitors about an hour in the past and this man instructed me they began to evacuate this space.”
Monterey County Communications Director Nick Pasculli stated roughly 1,500 residents have been evacuated.
In neighboring Santa Cruz County, public well being officers there have been additionally advising residents downwind of the incident to remain indoors, preserve home windows and doorways closed, restrict outside publicity, and switch off air flow programs. Residents are moreover suggested to observe native information and social media for extra updates.
The fireplace led to some college closures. Hartnell Faculty Castroville Schooling Heart introduced it could be closed Friday because of the fireplace out of security to college students and workers.
North Monterey County Unified Faculty District additionally made the choice to shut all NMCUSD colleges Friday, citing well being and security issues for college kids and workers.
Monterey County officers declared a neighborhood state of emergency over the hearth on Tuesday.
Climate circumstances serving to in Moss Touchdown
The one lucky component Thursday night was the climate. In an space recognized for heavy fog, it has been clear and nonetheless for a lot of the evening, permitting the smoke from the hearth to go up and out of the world.
“The climate is cooperating, and all I can say is thank God for that,” stated Pasculli. “Wind as you understand what occurred in Southern California can do loopy issues, so we’re not coping with that thankfully.”
At a press convention Friday morning, Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, who represents District 2 the place the hearth occurred, referred to as the incident “a worst-case situation of a catastrophe.”
“That is actually much more than only a fireplace. That is actually a get up name for this trade,” stated Church. “And if we will be shifting forward with sustainable power, we have to have secure battery programs in place.”
Church went on to notice that his constituents have questions on how and why the hearth occurred and promised accountability and transparency in relation to details about the hearth and its impacts.
Church additionally famous that the power is on the mouth of Elkhorn Slough, an environmentally delicate wetland.
Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fireplace Safety District stated that the hearth was largely out as of Friday morning, however video from the facility plant confirmed that the hearth was nonetheless burning intensely and producing a column of smoke above the power.
Mendoza stated the hearth was burning at a price of 1% to five% Friday morning in comparison with the peak of the hearth between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday evening.
The final fireplace on the facility was again in 2022. That was earlier than Vistra Power went by means of a serious growth to its power storage capabilities.
Fireplace emergency providers and hazmat crews have been all current on the scene, however Monterey CBS affiliate KION reported that these crews seemed to be letting the hearth burn itself out. As of 10:30 p.m. Thursday, roughly 40% of the constructing containing batteries had burned.
Portion of Freeway 1 closed
The Santa Cruz workplace of the CHP introduced that State Route 1 has been shut down at Salinas Highway due to the hearth. Drivers are suggested to keep away from the world and use U.S. Freeway 101 as an alternate route. There was no estimated time of reopening as of .
Northbound Freeway 1 visitors was being directed off from the Freeway 183 junction with southbound visitors being directed off Struve Highway.
County of Monterey Public Works has additionally listed street closures which might be in impact across the Moss Touchdown space together with:
1.516 Dolan Highway (Choose-n-Pull)
2. Freeway 1 at Struve Highway
3. Freeway 1 at Potrero Highway
4. Moss Touchdown Highway North at Freeway 1
*Residential entry solely.
Andrea Nakano contributed to this story.
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