Moss Landing Power Plant fire spurs evacuations in Monterey County
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A fire was reported at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County on Friday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders for residents leaving nearby.
Crews from the North County Fire Protection District have responded to the blaze, according to an alert shared by Monterey County.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders around 6:30 p.m. for areas of Moss Landing south of the Elkhorn Slough, north of Molera Road and Monterey Dunes Way and west of Castroville Boulevard and Elkhorn Road to the ocean.
Earlier, Monterey County officials issued a warning for residents living near the power plant to close their windows and doors and not to run air conditioning units.
The plant is a natural-gas-powered electricity generation plant near Moss Landing Harbor in an unincorporated area of Monterey County. The plant also has storage sites for lithium ion batteries, which can release toxic gases into the air if ignited.
In September 2022, a Tesla Megapack battery caught fire in an energy storage facility at the power plant.
The cause of Thursday’s fire is currently unknown.
Road closures are in effect at Dolan Road and Castroville Boulevard, Highway 1 at Salinas Road and Highway 1 at Merritt Street. The North County Recreation Center, at 11261 Crane St. in Castroville, has been established as an evacuation site.
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