A lithium battery storage plant in Moss Landing experienced a major fire that flared up again on Friday afternoon after smoldering throughout the morning. The fire, which forced evacuations of around 1,200 residents, sent smoke over the community and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County. Firefighters reported that most of the fire was out by Friday morning but continued to monitor the situation. There were no reported injuries, and air quality monitoring systems did not detect any dangerous gases in the air. Lithium battery fires are difficult to extinguish due to high temperatures and toxic gas emissions.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church called for an independent investigation. This incident marks the fourth fire at the plant since 2019. The facility, owned by Vistra Energy, contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries and is one of the largest battery storage plants globally. It is part of California’s efforts to transition to renewable energy sources. The power grid remains stable despite the fire, which caused the closure of Highway 1 until the evacuation order is lifted.
Source
Photo credit www.dailynews.com
