Monterey County ratifies local emergency, demands answers after Moss Landing battery fire

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday received multi‑agency briefings on the Vistra Energy battery fire at the Moss Landing energy storage site and unanimously ratified a proclamation of local emergency as the county moves from response into recovery.

The move formalizes the county’s emergency posture after the lithium‑ion battery fire that began Thursday, Jan. 16, and prompted evacuations, road closures and air‑monitoring efforts. Board members directed staff to seek more information from the plant operators and to form a short‑term review group to recommend next steps.

The full incident briefing stressed public health and responder safety as the county’s top priorities. “Our priority continues to be the health and safety of the community, the responders who have served throughout the duration of this event and the environment,” said Kelsey Scanlon, Monterey County director of emergency management, in the boardroom briefing. Scanlon outlined a timeline that included the first report at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 16, an early activation of the county Emergency Operations Center and the arrival of U.S. EPA monitoring support the following day.

Monterey County and partner agencies described a rapid multi‑agency response. Sheriff’s Office and North County Fire Protection District commanders said initial firefighting and evacuation orders prioritized life safety and responder access. “The first engine arrived on scene in about 5 to 6 minutes,” Sheriff Nieto said in his remarks. Chief Mendoza (North County Fire) said small pockets of heat have been observed by drone and thermal imaging but that the structure appeared stable as of the board meeting.

Air monitoring and public‑health updates were a central focus. Rich Stedman of the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) said MBARD’s network of regulatory monitors and sensors…