Evacuations and Safety Measures
Approximately 1,500 people were evacuated from and the Elkhorn Slough area due to a significant fire at one of the world's largest battery storage plants owned by .
Highway 1 was closed, and the announced the closure of all schools and offices due to the fire.
Fire Details and Response
The fire, which started around 3 p.m. on Thursday, was still raging five hours later, with no injuries reported. Vistra Energy stated that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and an investigation will commence after extinguishing the fire.
This incident follows previous fires at the same plant in 2021 and 2022, caused by a fire sprinkler system malfunction leading to unit overheating. The facility contains tens of thousands of lithium batteries, which are challenging to extinguish once ignited.