MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KION-TV) — A fire has broken out at the Vistra battery building at the Moss Landing Power Plant Thursday afternoon and escalating into the night.
The last time a fire occurred at the Moss Landing Power Plant was on Sept. 20, 2022 at the Tesla Power Storage facility.
Heavy black smoke could be seen coming from the Vistra Energy side of the power plant around 3 p.m. As of 10 pm from County of Monterey Emergency Operations Center, 40 percent of the building with batteries burned.
Fire crews are on site monitoring the on the gerund and in the air with drones to see the extent of the damage. No fire suppression is being taken place as batteries must burn out themselves with no water being used.
The building and facility had been evacuated before the fire continued to spread. Vistra Corp. released a statement to KION:
“There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site. Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders.
Earlier this afternoon, Vistra personnel called for assistance from the North Monterey County Fire District after a fire was detected in the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility at the Moss Landing Power Plant site. All site personnel were safely evacuated.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished. ”
Vistra is monitoring the air quality throughout the night with officials from Monterey and Santa Cruz county reviewing.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) responded to the fire in the following statement:
“The safety and wellbeing of our communities remain my number one priority. I am closely monitoring the fire in Moss Landing and its effects on surrounding areas. I am in open communication with local and state agencies to ensure our community and our first responders have the resources they need. I am deeply concerned and have serious questions about the safety of this battery energy storage plant. I will be looking for transparency and accountability for why this happened again at Moss Landing. I am exploring all options for preventing future battery energy storage fires from ever occurring again on the Central Coast.”
U.S Representative Jimmy Panetta also release a statement on the fire:
“We are monitoring the fire in Moss Landing and in contact with first responders and the compromised battery storage facility. We ask residents to stay alert, follow the directions of emergency services, and stay safe. Clean energy facilities have a responsibility to be operated safely and to protect the surrounding communities. I urge this battery facility to be transparent and cooperate with authorities to address this emergency situation swiftly.”
CalTrans District 5 has issued a full closure of Highway 1 with no estimated time of reopening. Northbound traffic is being directed off from the Highway 183 junction with southbound traffic being directed off Struve Road.
County of Monterey Public Works has also listed road closures that are in effect around the Moss Landing area including:
- Dolan Rd. at Castroville Blvd.
- Elkhorn at Castroville Blvd.
- Paradise at Walker Valley Rd.
- Elkhorn at Bayview Rd.
- Elkhorn at Strawberry Rd.
- Elkhorn at Hidden Valley Rd.
- Elkhorn Rd. between Kirby Rd. and Wauh Rd.
- Elkhorn at the intersection of Hall Rd. at the fire station
- Russo Rd. at Dolan Rd.
- Trafton Rd. to Bluff Rd.
SOURCE: readymontereycounty.org/emergency
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has issued Evacuation Orders for areas Moss Landing South of the Elkhorn Slough, North of Molera Rd and Monterey Dunes Way, and West of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the ocean.
The following zones include MRY-B037, MRY-B047, MRY-B050, MRY-B051, MRY-B053, MRY-B058 and MRY-B060. 1,214 people living in the evacuation zones have been told to evacuate. These zones can be found on readymontereycounty.org/emergency.
The Castroville Recreation Center is being opened as a temporary evacuation point as 11261 Crane Street in Castroville.
Santa Cruz County Public Health and Monterey County Health have urged residents via an alert to stay indoors, close all windows, and turn of their air ventilation systems.
They also advise those looking for information to look toward social media for additional updates.
Hartnell College Castroville Education Center will be closed Friday, January 17 due to the fire out of safety to students and staff.
North Monterey County Unified School District has also made the decision to close all NMCUSD schools tomorrow, citing that the health and safety of their students as the top priority.
This is a developing story.
