What happened at a lithium battery storage plant in Northern California?

The massive fire at one of the world's largest lithium battery storage plants in Northern California has shaken a local community worried about possible long-term impacts and brought scrutiny to the emerging industry's safety practices.

What happened at Monterey County's largest lithium-ion battery storage facility?

When a massive fire erupted at one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities in Monterey County, it didn’t just send plumes of smoke over nearby communities — it cast a pall over the future of California’s clean energy industry.

Did a big rig burn a lithium battery in Las Vegas?

In July 2024, firefighters took two days to extinguish a lithium battery fire that blocked the 15 Freeway to Las Vegas near Barstow. A big rig hauling a load of industrial-grade lithium-ion batteries overturned and caught fire. The burning batteries posed multiple threats, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District officials said.

Why are lithium ion batteries prone to fire?

Lithium-ion fires are prone to reigniting because the lithium salts used in the battery are self-oxidizing, meaning that they can't be "starved out" like a traditional fire, according to safety company Thompson. Because lithium has a high ignition point, the battery must be cooled to a sub-ignition temperature before it can be ignited.

Can a lithium-ion battery fire burn out?

Vistra is based in Texas. “There’s very little, if any, of a plume emitting from that building,” Mendoza said. Crews are not engaging with the fire and are waiting for it to burn out, he said. Letting lithium-ion battery fires burn out is not unusual because they burn very hot and are hard to put out.

Will lithium batteries burn itself out if fire crews turn hoses?

Concerned over the potentially toxic runoff if fire crews turned hoses on the burning lithium batteries, officials instead are allowing the to burn itself out. Officials said the fire was largely out as of late Friday morning during a press conference, but it flared up significantly for a few hours that afternoon before dying down again.