New fire smoulders at Vistra Moss Landing battery site during cleanup
2026Published 20 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Vistra 300-megawatt battery site, Moss Landing, California
- Operator
- Vistra
- What
- Fire broke out during cleanup and demolition work
- Response
- No active fire by noon, crews monitored site
Get the next one by email
Free alerts on battery storage incidents in the United States, and an email when EIR-1136 is updated. No account needed; unsubscribe in one click.
Confirm your email and every battery storage incident on the register arrives at once as a spreadsheet (CSV), free.
Get a free sample brief Three complete verified records and the incidents-per-GW table, by email within a minute.
We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.
What happened
A fire broke out at Vistra's 300-megawatt battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing, California, during ongoing cleanup and demolition work following a major fire at the site in January 2025. By noon on the day of the incident, officials said there was no active fire, only smouldering, and no indication that hazardous materials posed a danger to nearby residents. Dolan Road at Highway 1 was closed while crews monitored the site.
The batteries involved were charged but not connected to the state grid, which has been offline since the January 2025 fire. The incident occurred as crews were demolishing fire-damaged portions of the battery building under EPA oversight to access severely damaged battery modules that had previously been inaccessible.
Contributing factors
Damaged lithium-ion batteries from the January 2025 fire remained on site and were reported as charged, despite not being connected to the grid. The EPA noted that damaged lithium-ion batteries pose an ongoing fire risk and can release hydrogen fluoride and other flammable or toxic gases when they burn, a risk heightened during demolition and battery removal work.
Lessons learned
- Charged lithium-ion batteries left on site after a fire can reignite during demolition, so operators must isolate and cool modules before removal.
- Demolition of fire-damaged battery buildings needs continuous temperature and gas monitoring to detect smouldering before it spreads.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the new fire
- Battery module model and age
- Length of site downtime
- Cost of further cleanup
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Site page: Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage System (status, dates and other incidents)
Other entries that name Vistra
Other entries that name Moss Landing
- Major fire at Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility, California, multi-day incident
- Clamp failure and coolant leak found during Moss Landing battery restart testing
- Battery storage fire reignites at Vistra's Moss Landing facility
- Megapack fire at PG&E Elkhorn Battery, Moss Landing, California
- Water based suppression system leak causes battery shorting at Moss Landing Phase II
Published 2026-09-20. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
