Battery Blazes: Coming Soon To A State Near You?

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Raging conflagrations at the world’s largest battery storage facility prompted mass evacuations in central California as toxic materials spewed into the atmosphere – with local officials unable to approach, let alone fight, the blazing chemical inferno.

The ensuing toxic fire could rage for days, local firefighters warned – creating an environmental crisis that has already forced more than 2,000 people from their homes.

“There are no active fire suppression efforts going on, as the best approach, according to fire staff, is to allow the building and batteries to burn,” a Monterey sheriff official told Reuters.

Wait… what?

That’s right… these fires burn too hot and are laced with too many chemicals to suppress, raising fresh questions about the safety of a technology that was supposed to be good for the environment.

The fire occurred at Moss Landing – a lithium battery storage plant owned by Texas-based Vistra Corp. According to local authorities, the blaze broke out shortly after 3:00 p.m. EST on Thursday (January 16, 2025). No injuries have been reported in connection with the fire, and its cause is currently unknown – although lithium batteries at the facility have been prone to overheating in the past, a phenomenon known as “thermal runaway.”

In addition to the devastating environmental fallout from the fire – it could have a significantly adverse impact on California’s power grid.

“There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” Monterey County supervisor Glenn Church told KSBW TV-8. “This is a disaster, is what it is.”

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North County Fire is currently addressing a fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant.

As a precaution, individuals in Zones MRY-B047 and MRY-B053 are advised to close their windows and doors, and turn off any air systems until further notice. pic.twitter.com/VlMFxaYhik

— California Fire Tracker (@deb8rr) January 17, 2025

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Moss Landing has experienced significant issues with battery overheating in the past. According to reporter Andy Colthorpe of Energy Storage News, officials “called a temporary halt to its operation” following battery overheating incidents in 2021 and 2022.

One of the facility’s units – commissioned in December 2020 – went offline less than a year later due to overheating issues, while a second unit which came online in August 2021 had to be switched off in February 2022. Both units were reactivated in July 2022.

“Lithium-ion batteries are notorious for containing highly flammable and toxic materials,” a recent release from Alysm Energy noted. “The hazards associated with these batteries are significant as they can catch fire when they fail, releasing poisonous gases and chemicals into the air. Around 40 known fires have occurred within large-scale lithium-ion BESS as of 2021.”

The release further noted that lithium-ion batteries “can emit deadly gases such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide for hours without catching fire.”

“When they ignite, the smoke and chemicals released (including hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen chloride) can lead to respiratory problems for those living or working near the (facility),” the release continued. “The heat generated by the fire can also cause structural damage to nearby buildings and homes.

The Moss Landing fire – and its fallout – prompted a scorching excoriation of California’s far left energy policies.

“California thought batteries were going to replace most normal power plants, storing solar power for later use,” energy expert Mark Nelson wrote on X. “Batteries are useful. They are not perfect. And they aren’t a replacement for baseload nuclear. California experts claimed that California’s nuclear should be shut down and be replaced by such battery facilities. I think that would be unwise for reasons that become abundantly clear, as its biggest battery encounters its second major fire in two years.”

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RELATED | SHOULD SOUTH CAROLINA REBOOT V.C. SUMMER?

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As FITSNews has repeatedly opined, the best – and safest – way to quickly reduce carbon emissions is via the buildout of both natural gas and nuclear. In fact, natural gas has been driving America’s progress on this front for the better part of the last two decades.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy-related CO2 emissions in our nation declined to 4.8 billion metric tons in 2023 – well below their peak of more than 6 billion metric tons in the early 2000s. Last year’s data is not yet available, but CO2 emissions were projected to decline by another 0.6% in 2024 per a report from the Global Carbon Project.

“These reductions were caused largely by reduced coal-fired electricity generation, as natural gas and solar power made up a larger portion of the generation mix,” EIA officials noted. “This change in the generation mix away from coal, which has the highest carbon intensity among fossil fuels, decreased electric power sector CO2 emissions by 7 percent relative to 2022.”

While natural gas has been the unsung hero in reducing carbon emissions in the United States, eco-radicals have continued to assail its expansion – demanding America exclusively transition to solar, wind and other sources. In addition to being dependent on weather, these renewable sources are also dependent on battery storage.

Not surprisingly, the left-leaning Associated Press continued to regurgitate the eco-radical talking points in its reporting on the fire, noting the batteries at Moss Landing “make the grid more stable” and “reduce the need for energy to be generated from fossil fuels, which release planet-warming gases.”

No propaganda there, right?

“Experts say lithium batteries are a safe technology essential for lowering carbon emissions and making grids more reliable,” the article added.

Well, a “safe” and “reliable” technology… until they arbitrarily combust and start spewing toxins into the air.

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience in the loop on any updates out of California… and the potential impact of this disaster on the Palmetto State’s ongoing energy conversation.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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