Workers for Vistra, the Texas‑based operator of the 300‑megawatt battery storage site, reported a flare‑up early Friday morning against the wall of a building that had burned in the massive January 2025 fire, prompting the North County Fire Protection District to issue a shelter‑in‑place directive for nearby residents.
Chief Jess Cortez said roughly 1,200 battery modules that remain inaccessible and still charged appear to have spontaneously ignited, creating a smoldering situation rather than an active blaze. “They’re in the smoldering stage right now,” Cortez told a briefing Friday afternoon, adding that the incident remained dynamic and could produce further flare‑ups.
Monterey County officials lifted the shelter‑in‑place order later that afternoon after fire crews confirmed that the fire was no longer actively burning, though the site continues to be monitored for any resurgence.
The repeat incident revives concerns about the safety of large‑scale battery storage facilities, especially as California now hosts the nation’s largest battery energy‑storage fleet, according to the California Energy Commission.
Experts point to the design of the Moss Landing site as a key factor. Dustin Mulvaney, a professor at San Jose State University, said the facility was built in an enclosed, aging structure with older battery technology packed closely together, a layout that “allows fires to spread quickly.” Denise Grab of the Emmett Institute echoed that the plant’s design does not meet current safety standards.
The 2025 fire, the facility’s fourth safety incident since 2019, prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to call for a state investigation. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) conducted a site visit and is now conducting a root‑cause analysis in coordination with Vistra and an independent consultant, though the investigation has stretched into its second year.
California has enacted a series of safety laws aimed at preventing similar events, including a 2022 statute that required the CPUC to set new standards for battery storage facilities. Critics note that the CPUC only began moving on those standards after the recent Vistra fire.
Vistra maintains that the cause of the 2025 fire remains unknown and cites an internal study that found no human‑health or ecological risk from chemical residues. However, local residents reported respiratory symptoms during the earlier blaze, and researchers have documented elevated levels of nickel, manganese and cobalt in soil and hair samples near the site.
Air‑quality monitors placed around the facility have not detected unhealthy particulate levels as of Friday’s briefing, but community leaders such as Brian Roeder of the Never Again Moss Landing group say public trust in regulators and officials continues to erode after more than 20 months of unresolved safety concerns.