Battery storage fire prompts evacuation order at California Flats site in Monterey County
- Date
- 30 Aug 2025
- Severity
- Significant
- Storage
- 240MWh
- Age
- 4yrs
- Injuries
- 0
- Fatalities
- 0
- Operator
- Arevon Energy
- Owner
- Arevon Energy
- Manufacturer
- Tesla
- Integrator
- Tesla
A thermal incident occurred at the California Flats Energy Storage Project, a battery energy storage system co-located with a large solar plant near Parkfield in Monterey County, California, operated and owned by Arevon Energy, with the battery system supplied and integrated by Tesla. The site's thermal detection system triggered and automatically alerted emergency services. Four of 84 battery units at the facility were affected; the remainder of the system was unaffected. Local fire authorities attended but were not required to take suppression action, and the fire was allowed to burn out under controlled monitoring. As a precaution, an evacuation order was issued for a small number of nearby residences within a two-mile radius, which was lifted after approximately three hours once responders confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the public. No injuries or fatalities were reported, and no private property was damaged.
Tesla Megapack lithium-ion battery storage
Not publicly disclosed; described only as a 'thermal incident' confined to four of 84 battery units
Four of 84 battery units (Tesla Megapacks) at the facility
CAL FIRE responded initially to a reported possible vegetation fire and discovered a battery fire; local fire departments dispatched to monitor the site but were not required to take suppression action; Tesla Field Services Response Team also attended and monitored the site 24/7
None specifically reported for this incident, though it occurred amid broader California legislative attention (Assembly Bill 303, the 'Battery Energy Safety & Accountability Act') following the earlier Moss Landing battery storage fire in January 2025
(1) Automated thermal detection at a battery storage site can alert emergency services before visible fire signs appear, allowing early site isolation. (2) A contained battery fire at a hybrid solar site can be left to burn out under monitoring when suppression risks outweigh benefits and spread is limited.