New fire breaks out at Moss Landing Power Plant in California; shelter-in-place order issued
By Tim Fang
Firefighters on California’s Central Coast are battling a fire that broke out Friday at the same power plant where a massive lithium battery fire took place last year.
According to the North Monterey County Fire District, the fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant was reported shortly after 6:15 a.m. When crews arrived, they found smoke and fire coming from the north side of the facility.
Firefighters are evacuating plant employees as they work on stabilizing the facility, officials said.
According to the Monterey County Department of Emergency Management, nearby residents in zones MRY-B047, MRY-B050 and MRY-B053, are being told to shelter-in-place. Residents in the impacted areas should close windows and doors and shut off air systems until further notice.
In January 2025, a lithium battery storage facility at the power plant caught fire, leading to 1,200 nearby residents being evacuated and a state of emergency being declared.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the 300-megawatt system that was involved in the fire held about 100,000 lithium-ion batteries. About 55% of the batteries were damaged by the fire.
Moss Landing residents filed multiple lawsuits against Vistra Corporation, which operated the battery facility where the fire ignited, along with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other associated companies.
In July 2025, the EPA entered into an agreement with Vistra to remove damaged batteries from its property.
“I’m frustrated and deeply concerned by the repeat fire at Moss Landing,” said Asm. Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), who represents the area. “Although initial cleanup and battery removal, under the supervision of the federal EPA, were completed two weeks ago, 1,500 hard-to-access batteries remain in the damaged area of the facility. This incident is ongoing, and we don’t yet know all details. I strongly ask surrounding communities to follow all safety instructions from emergency services.”
Moss Landing is located about 90 miles south of San Francisco.
