Incident Overview

On Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, a fire occurred at the 300MW battery energy storage facility (Moss 300) at Vistra’s Moss Landing site in Monterey County, California. Company personnel immediately responded, and the North County Fire Protection District was dispatched to the scene. The fire was contained to the Moss 300 building and did not spread to any of the other energy storage facilities or the natural gas plant located on site.  

Multiple agencies and organizations have monitored local air, water, and soil. To date, no risks to public health have been observed.

Air quality monitoring and sampling during and after the incident found no hazardous air conditions or risks to public health. These findings have been confirmed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Out of an abundance of caution, air monitoring and sampling remain ongoing on the site and in the nearby community while recovery operations are underway.  

Approximately 1,200 nearby residents were evacuated for 24 hours as a precaution. To assist these residents, Vistra established a community assistance program to offset any evacuation expenses. The Community Foundation for Monterey County and its partners – United Way Monterey County and the Castro Plaza Family Resource Center – helped distribute assistance to residents. Vistra also established a business claims program for businesses located in the evacuation zone or operating at or out of Moss Landing Harbor to file a claim for financial assistance.

This website was established to share important information, including frequently asked questions, environmental testing results, progress on site recovery, and other important information, which can all be found using the tabs above.