Moss Landing shelter-in-place and road closure lifted after battery storage fire
Firefighters responded Friday morning to a fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility operated by Vistra Energy, the same facility damaged in a major battery fire in January 2025.
The North Monterey County Fire District was dispatched shortly after 6:15 a.m. Crews arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the facility’s north side.
The fire involved 1,500 batteries that were still energized inside a structure damaged during the 2025 fire.
Officials said Friday’s fire was not comparable to the January 2025 fire in scale or complexity. They anticipate it could burn itself out over the next 24 hours.
Everyone working at the facility has been accounted for, and no injuries have been reported. The incident is being managed under a unified command that includes the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. The county’s Emergency Operations Center has also been activated.
The Sheriff’s Office lifted the shelter-in-place order for the area within one-third of a mile of 7301 Highway 1, known as Zone PAZ-1.
The hard closure of Dolan Road between Highway 1 and Via Tanques Road has also been lifted. Highway 1 remains open.
The EPA is monitoring air quality in the area. KSBW 8 contacted the EPA and Vistra Energy for additional information but had not received a response.
The North Monterey County Unified School District said its shelter-in-place order had been lifted. Schools and activities will continue as scheduled, and air-quality readings were in the normal range.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis said she was “frustrated and deeply concerned” about the fire.
“I’m frustrated and deeply concerned by the repeat fire at Moss Landing. Early this morning I received initial briefings on the Moss Landing battery energy storage fire. 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.”
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.