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(Bloomberg) -- A fire broke out at Vistra Corp.’s Moss Landing complex in California, one of the world’s biggest battery storage facilities, prompting evacuations. Local officials said a fire suppressant system failed.
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Every rack of batteries at the facility has a fire suppressant system fed by an on-site system, and this system failed, Chief Joel Mendoza with the North County Fire District, said during a press briefing Friday. The county declared a local emergency.
Vistra executives acknowledged the system failure at the briefing. Pete Ziegler, who manages the facility, added, “We don’t know what started this event yet.”
The Monterey County Sheriff told residents to close windows and shut off air systems after the fire broke out at 3 p.m. Thursday and then told them to leave the area an hour later. About 1,200 people were evacuated and the order was still in effect the next day, the sheriff said. The plant is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of San Francisco in an area famous for whale and birdwatching on the Pacific Coast.
“It is the worst-case scenario,” said Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, noting this is the fourth but worst fire since 2019 at the facilities. “I was assured there were safety protocols in place.”
Vistra’s shares fell as much as 4.3% after closing at a record high on Thursday of $174. The stock has been a major beneficiary of expectations that demand for the company’s power plants and battery facilities will soar as artificial intelligence boosts energy consumption.
The fire was detected in the 300-megawatt phase I part of the plant and Vistra personnel called for help from the North Monterey Fire District, spokeswoman Jenny Lyon said in an email. The facility was evacuated and the cause will be investigated once the fire is extinguished, Lyon said. The fire was contained to one section of the complex, which includes two other batteries and a natural gas-fired power plant.
Monterey County called an emergency meeting at 8:30 a.m. local time Friday with more than 300 people logged on. Officials said there was little plume emitting and the primary concern was of a toxic gas, hydrogen flouride, moving to communities north of the facility. At the meeting, Ziegler said Vistra immediately started air monitoring, and preliminary data doesn’t indicate harm to the public.