Lithium Batteries Reignited Tuesday at the Moss Landing Power Plant Fire Site

Remember that battery plant fire last month in Moss Landing, California? Tuesday night local firefighters 'determined that a group of lithium batteries in an area that had previously burned during the January 16 fire had smoldered and reignited,' reports SFGate.

Fire Chief Joel Mendoza said the flames burned at varying intensities throughout Tuesday night before the fire burned itself out at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

Additional flare-ups at the site are expected due to weather exposure and damage to the remaining batteries. 'Rekindling is very, very likely — almost a certainty,' said EPA onsite coordinator Eric Sandusky, adding that rain and humidity can interact with the damaged batteries, leading to short circuits and reignition. To further reduce fire risk, Sandusky said the EPA is working with Vistra to begin 'de-linking the batteries,' a process that disconnects them to lower the risk of propagation and prevent a large-scale fire...

'Vistra said that since the January 16 fire, they have brought in a private fire crew that is on-site at all times to monitor the Moss 300 building,' according to a local news site.

Fire Chief Joel Mendoza shared more details with the digital newspaper Lookout Santa Cruz. 'We've been saying all along that batteries exposed to heat that didn't burn can ignite. We were hoping that it wouldn't happen, but it did.'

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