A fire at a central California power plant has forced more than 2,000 residents to evacuate amid fears of hazardous materials. As crews battle the blaze, find out which areas were ordered to evacuate as a safety measure.

Residents near the Moss Landing Power Plant in Central California were ordered to evacuate their homes Thursday night after a fire broke out at the facility, officials confirmed.The natural gas fueled plant located on the Monterey County coast, serves as a battery storage site and is owned by Vistra Energy. Vistra, a Texas-based company, completed the latest phase of construction on its energy storage facility in 2023.The project is part of California’s ongoing push to strengthen its power grid with clean energy solutions. According to reports, the facility has the capacity to store 750 megawatts of energy, which can power around 562,000 homes for up to four hours.Looking ahead, California estimates it will require 52,000 megawatts of energy storage — three times the current amount — by 2045 to meet growing demand and achieve its net-zero emissions target.

It was confirmed in an email that the fire started in one of the plant’s lithium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon around 3p.m., prompting immediate evucation of on-site personnel.