Where is Moss Landing located? Evacuation orders issued as massive fire breaks out at lithium battery plant

Moss Landing, a lithium-ion battery storage plant in Monterey County, California saw a massive fire incident on Thursday, January 16. Around 3 pm, a fire broke out at the facility, located at the Pacific Coast Highway and Dolan Road's intersection.

Fire crews from the North County Fire Protection District responded to the power plant. While no injuries or fatalities have been reported, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation order at about 6:30 pm.

Despite the fire being reported as non-hazardous, residents living close to the power plant were asked to seek shelter over potential hazardous chemical release. According to KSBW, the fire responders were not actively battling the fire, but waiting for it to extinguish itself.

The power plant's parent company, Vistra, said in a statement the fire erupted in "the 300-MW Phase I energy storage facility" at the site. Employees working at the energy plant at the time of the fire were all safely evacuated.

According to a Facebook post by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, evacuation orders were issued for "areas of Moss Landing South of the Elkhorn Slough, North of Molera Rd and Monterey Dunes Way, and West of Castroville Blvd and ElkHorn Rd. to the ocean for the following zones: MRY-B037, MRY-B047, MRY-B050, MRY-B051, MRY-B053, MRY-B058, MRY-B060."

The Sheriff's Office declared Castroville Recreation Center as the temporary evacuation point. Dolan Road, and Highway 1 on both ends at Salinas Road, and Merritt St. were closed due to the incident.

During a 2021 fire incident at the power plant, North County Fire Chief Joel Mendoza told KSBW TV that lithium batteries are prone to explosion. A report in the August 2021 Journal of Energy Chemistry also noted that it could be difficult to extinguish.

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Moss Landing Power Plant's parent company Vistra Corp. issues a statement

A spokesperson for Texas-based Vistra Corp. said on Thursday, as reported by CBS News:

"Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders."

The spokesperson added about the Moss Landing fire:

"The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished."

Monterey County alerted the residents near the Moss Landing Power Plant about taking proper caution. They urged the residents to keep their doors and windows closed to block the toxin-filled air outside. They were also asked to stay indoors to let emergency vehicles pass easily.

A Monterey County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told KSBW TV that the fire affected 40% of the Moss Landing battery plant. The outlet spoke to immunologist and allergy specialist Dr. Steven Prager at Salinas Valley Health, who addressed the potential health hazards the smoke from the fire could cause.

Prager said the regular smoke from a fire would only irritate one's nose and lungs, adding:

"But here we're dealing with a chemical fire...And these chemical fires and low concentrations can make anyone's eyes, nose hurt. And higher concentrations, it can become hard to breathe, and they're gonna affect everybody, not just those with chronic lung disease."

Prager said, if someone is exposed to a higher concentration of smoke, it can cause them lifelong lung problems.