HUNDREDS of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes after a fire broke out at one of the largest battery plants in the world.
Orange flames continue to rage at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey Bay, California, sending plumes of toxic black smoke into the air.
The blaze has prompted officials to issue emergency evacuation orders.
More than 1,000 people have been told to leave their homes.
The evacuation orders affect those who live closest to the power plant.
Nicholas Pasculli, a Monterey County spokesperson, urged locals to heed the warnings.
“It’s imperative that residents heed the evacuation order and take the direction of law enforcement and fire personnel,” he said.
“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 to go to a safe location.”
Officials have labeled the blaze a “disaster,” as reported by the NBC affiliate KSBW-TV.
Meanwhile, 12 miles away in Santa Cruz, officials urged residents to close their windows, as reported by the outlet Lookout Santa Cruz.
Locals have also been told to turn off air conditioning systems and stay indoors.
The blaze broke out at around 3pm local time on Thursday and continued to rage into the night.
Around 40% of the batteries stored in the power plant’s Vistra building have burned, as reported by the CBS affiliate KION-TV.
Fire crews are at the scene but they’re not using water to put out the flames.
This is because the batteries have to burn themselves out.
NO WILDFIRE LINK
Officials have been quick to rule out any link to the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles.
Cops have not revealed the cause of the blaze.
Investigators said they will determine this once the fire has been put out.
Chiefs at the energy company Vistra Corp have issued a statement.
“There is an ongoing fire at our Moss Landing Power Plant site,” they said.
“Ensuring the safety of the community and our personnel is our utmost priority, and Vistra is truly grateful for the ongoing support from our local emergency responders.”
The Moss Landing Power Plant is home to one of the largest battery storage plants in the world.
It’s not the first time there has been a fire at the plant.
In 2022, a Tesla Megapack battery went up in flames.
And in 2021, some batteries overheated prompted officials to issue shelter in place orders.
The blaze has forced some schools in the Monterey area to be closed on Friday.
