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Fire at Moss Landing Battery Plant Results in Evacuations – Battery Plant Fire Lawyers


Fire at Moss Landing Battery Plant Results in Evacuations lawyer attorney sue liability liable incident

Breaking News: late Thursday (January 16, 2025), the blaze broke out in one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities. As of early Friday morning, the flames continued.

The fire affects the Moss Landing community and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County. It caused evacuations and road closures. More specifically, the fire resulted in the closure of Highway 1 as it raged on Thursday night. It sent huge flames and hazardous black smoke into the air.

The fire was reported at around 3pm at the battery plant, which is located on Cabrillo Highway (Highway 1) in Moss Landing, California.

Personnel called the North Monterey County Fire Protection District after detecting the fire in their 300-megawatt Phase I energy storage facility. All personnel were evacuated.

According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, fire crews were not engaging with the fire and were waiting for the fire to burn on its own.

The fire resulted in evacuation orders that affected approximately 1,500 people. Others were advised to stay indoors, with windows and doors closed, and ventilation systems off. As of early Friday, there were no further updates.

Nicholas Pasculli, Monterey County spokesman, said that ‘It’s imperative that residents heed the evacuation order and take the direction of law enforcement and fire personnel…this is a situation where we take the idea of protecting life and property very seriously. We implore people to heed the evacuation order and go to a safe location.” He also said that the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had called other agencies in the county to assist with the emergency situation. Further, he said, “it’s a major incident…all the resources in the county and our neighboring jurisdictions have been deployed to assist with this incident.”

Monterey County Supervisor Glen Church told a local news network that the situation was a disaster. Church said that the fire was “contained inside a concrete building with a collapsed roof. He said, they “don’t think there’s any real threat of [the fire] extending outward and getting beyond where it’s in…there are a lot of batteries in there, and it’s burning pretty much inside that facility.”

The facility is owned by Vistra Energy, which is a Texas-owned company. It is one of the largest battery storage plants in the world. The facility holds tens of thousands of lithium batteries which are used to store solar power electricity and other sources of electricity generated during the day for nighttime use.

The plant is located on the site of a since-closed 1950s-era PG&E natural gas plant. Vistra Energy sells the electricity stored in their facility to PG&E, which also operates a separate battery storage plant on the north side of the site that contains Tesla “Megapack” bttery packs; this facility did not appear to be burning.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, although the incident will be investigated once it is extinguished.

February 6, 2025 Lawsuit Filed – our firm has filed a lawsuit in Alameda County on behalf of residents affected by the fire at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility. Our case alleges that the defendants, Vistra Corp., PG&E, LG Energy, and other associated entities, are responsible for the fire. The fire burned for five days. It released toxic smoke and caused widespread health/environmental harm. The lawsuit is seeking damages for the following:

  • Strict liability for ultrahazardous activities
  • Strict product liability
  • Inverse condemnation
  • Negligence
  • Private nuisance
  • Trespass to real property and chattel
  • Civil battery

This lawsuit is filed on behalf of four individuals.

It is likely that additional lawsuits will be filed as a result of the Moss Landing incident.

If you have questions about the lawsuit that has already been filed or about potentially participating in a future lawsuit due to damages or harm from the Moss Landing fire, please do not hesitate to reach out to our law firm at your earliest convenience.

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Previous Incidents at the Battery Facilities at Moss Landing

There have been multiple incidents in the battery facility.

On September 4, 2021 and February 14, 2022, fires occurred at the Vistra plant as a result of malfunctions of the fire sprinkler system. Investigations showed that the fire sprinkler system released water and caused several of the battery units to overheat, causing the fire.

On September 2022, there was a fire at the PG&E Elkhorn battery plant. Investigations showed that the fire was caused by an improperly installed vent shield, which allowed rainwater to get in and cause the batteries to short out.

These incidents resulted in Governor Newson signing a law requiring California battery storage plants to create emergency response plans with local fire departments and increase their fire safety.

About Lithium Battery Fires

Lithium-ion battery fires occur when the batteries overheat, either due to damage, issues with charging, or exposure to extreme temperatures, for example, resulting in chemical reactions that release flammable gases and can lead to fires/explosions. These fires can be very dangerous because they cannot be controlled with normal or traditional firefighting methods – and they can even reignite even after they have been extinguished.

In addition, these fires release toxic fumes, including hydrogen fluoride, phosphorus pentafluoride, and phosphoryl fluoride, for example. Those exposed to these toxic fumes could suffer significant harm, as fumes can potentially lead to chemical burns, lung damage, respiratory distress, asphyxiation, and more.

Can I File a Lawsuit?

Yes – if you were injured as a result of a lithium-ion battery fire, you could have grounds to file a lawsuit. You could also be entitled to receive compensation. If you were affected by a fire at any of the Moss Landling battery plants, you could have grounds to file a lawsuit. In the case of the latest fire, affected individuals could have grounds to file a lawsuit against Vistra Energy – given that the investigation concludes that the incident occurred because of the company’s negligence.

Based on the details surrounding the incident and the resulting harm, you could have grounds to file an injury claim, wrongful death claim, or property damage claim (including claims for burn damage or smoke and ash damage). You could even have the right to participate in a class action lawsuit. For more information about the legal options available to you and your right to file a lawsuit, please do not hesitate to reach out to the experts here at our law firm as soon as possible.

Can I Recover Compensation?

You could be entitled to receive compensation. Based on the type of claim that you pursue and the details surrounding the claim, you could be potentially recover some of the following forms of compensation:

  • Medical costs
  • Lost earnings
  • Pain and suffering
  • Funeral and burial costs
  • Loss of consortium
  • Property damage
  • Legal costs

You can trust that our legal team is fully committed to fighting for your right to recover the maximum payout available – whether that means negotiating a settlement or taking your claim to trial to reach a verdict. For details on the estimated value of your lawsuit, contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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What Should I Do?

As mentioned above, you could have the right to pursue a claim. Consider some of the following recommendations to prepare to take action:

  • Take photos of any visible injuries
  • Seek medical attention as soon as possible
  • Take photos of all visible property damage
  • Report any property damage to your insurance provider
  • Get property damage assessed
  • Gather all relevant medical records
  • Gather all records associated with lost income
  • Gather all records associated with property damage (including assessments, repair estimates, etc.)
  • Seek legal assistance with an experienced fire lawyer as soon as possible
Contact the Downtown L.A. Law Group Today

If you were affected by the recent fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, you could have the right to file a lawsuit. You could also be entitled to compensation. If you are ready to explore the legal options available to you, do not hesitate to reach out to our team as soon as possible. Our law firm has decades of experience and is more than ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your rights and recover the payout that you are owed.

To remain accessible to all, our law firm offers free case evaluations. These include free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our team will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our lithium ion battery fire attorneys will be available to provide you with absolutely all the information that you need to either start or continue your claim. If you are ready to schedule a free case review, contact us today.

Zero-Fee Guarantee – you will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. In addition, our law firm works on a strict contingency structure, meaning that our team will not have to pay anything if their claims are ultimately unsuccessful. If you do not win, you will not be responsible for paying any legal costs.

Contact us today to learn more about how our team can help you with your lawsuit.


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