As a fire breaks out at a battery plant in California, more than 2,000 people are being told to evacuate

As a fire breaks out at a battery plant in California, more than 2,000 people are being told to evacuate

According to sources, the Moss Landing Power Plant caught fire on Thursday, January 16.

According to reports, a fire at a battery business in Northern California has forced more than 2,000 people to evacuate.

According to CNN, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced on X (previously Twitter) on Thursday, January 16, that evacuation orders had been issued in response to the fire that broke out at Moss Landing Power Plant at approximately 3 p.m. local time.

The source was informed by a sheriff’s office representative that the fire had nothing to do with the wildfires in Los Angeles.

According to the Associated Press, the fire was still blazing but had not spread past the plant when part of Highway 1 was closed early on Friday, January 17.

Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, evacuation orders were issued “due to concerns over hazardous materials and potential chemical releases,” according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office who told CNN that more than 2,000 people had been ordered to leave.

According to The Mercury News, “huge flames” and clouds of “hazardous black smoke” were observed at the plant on Thursday.

The CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit tweeted, “From @sccounty Update at 8:45 PM on 1/16/25 – Due to an ongoing large fire in Moss Landing, Santa Cruz County Public Health officials are advising residents to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, limit outdoor exposure, and turn off ventilation systems.”