Fire at Moss Landing Power Plant forces evacuations, Highway 1 closure

Officials issued evacuation orders Thursday night after a fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant.

Monterey County officials urged residents in the area to close windows and doors and turn off air conditioning systems “out of an abundance of caution.” Santa Cruz County issued similar advice, telling residents to stay indoors, KSBW reported.

Approximately 1,500 people living near the facility were told to leave their homes. The fire was almost out around 10 a.m. Friday, according to the Mercury News. It had been prevented from spreading beyond the plant, which is 77 miles south of San Francisco.

The natural-gas-powered plant, owned by Vistra Energy, is the site of one of the world’s largest lithium-battery storage facilities.

Monterey County officials on Friday said the National Weather Service told them a plume containing the toxic chemical hydrogen fluoride was headed north. They are monitoring the air quality to determine if it is dangerous. Residents who attended an emergency meeting said there was a chemical odor throughout the night.

Exposure to hydrogen fluoride can irritate the skin and eyes and cause nausea, among other symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Air quality in San Francisco was categorized as “moderate” on Friday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, but a spokesperson said that was due to “wood burning, other local emissions such as automobile exhaust,” and Central Valley pollution, not the power plant fire.

Jenny Lyon, a spokesperson for Vistra, said staff alerted emergency responders after detecting a fire in the Moss 300-MW energy storage facility. All employees were safely evacuated.

“Our top priority is the safety of the community and our personnel, and Vistra deeply appreciates the continued assistance of our local emergency responders,” Lyon said in an emailed statement. “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.”

The power plant sits near scenic Highway 1 along a slough that is popular with kayakers and birdwatchers, and home to otters and other marine life. The plant was built in 1950 and owned by Pacific Gas & Electric, which now buys the electricity stored at the site, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

The utility owns another battery storage facility on the north side of the site that is powered by Tesla battery packs. The newspaper reported that the PG&E facility did not appear to be burning Thursday night. But misinformation has circulated that the fire is at a facility affiliated with Tesla. The Daily Kos blog published and later deleted an article headlined “Tesla Battery fire at Moss Landing Power Plant.”

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said road closures were in place at Dolan Road and Castroville Boulevard, as well as on Highway 1 at Salinas Road and Merritt Street. Information about areas under evacuation orders is available on Monterey County’s website.

An evacuation center has been set up at the Castroville Rec Center, located at 11261 Crane St. Authorities said 37 people, one cat, and three dogs stayed at the center overnight.

North Monterey County Unified School District announced that all schools and offices would be closed Friday due to the fire.

KION News Channel 46 reported that crews responded to the fire around 3 p.m. and that heavy smoke was blanketing the sky.

Other fires have broken out at the energy storage plant in recent years. In September 2022, a fire at the PG&E battery plant shut down Highway 1 for 12 hours after rainwater shorted out the batteries, according to the Sentinel. No one was injured.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.