Highway 1 opened after Tesla-powered PG&E substation fire
MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KION-TV) - UPDATE AT 6:52 p.m.- California Highway Patrol says Highway 1 will be reopened as of 6:50 p.m.
The shelter-in-place has also been lifted.
UPDATE AT 6:14 p.m.- The County of Monterey has released a new update on a fire that began at the PG&E Battery Plant in Moss Landing at about 2:00 a.m.
According to Monterey County, the fire has been contained and kept isolated to a single battery pack at the facility.
Highway 1 remains closed from Molera to Jense Raod. With no estimated time for reopening.
Residents in the shelter-in-place advisory area are being allowed to return home but are not being allowed to go back and forth through the closure. Residents are also advised to close their windows due to air quality concerns.
According to Monterey County, air quality testing is being done to see if the advisory can be lifted.
UPDATE AT 1:30 p.m.- PG&E said that the fire started around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
In their statement, they said the fire did start in one of the Tesla megapacks at their Elkhorn Battery Storage facility. PG&E said they are working with firefighters to stop the spread of the fire.
As of 3:35 pm, these closures are still in place. https://t.co/iBAnFOmM6W
— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) September 20, 2022
The safety system at the facility automatically disconnected the battery storage facility from the grid.
There are no reported injuries, and there have been no power outages as a result of this fire.
A shelter-in-place advisory has been issued for the areas of Moss Landing west of Dolan Road and Via Tanques, south of Struve Road, and north of Portero Road, per the North County Fire Department and Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
An interactive map for the affected areas can be found here.
The County of Monterey advised people in the area to shut their windows and turn off their ventilation systems. There is an ongoing hazardous material incident.
Highway 1 and Struve and Highway 1 at Portero are currently closed, there is an additional hard closure along southbound Highway 1 at Jensen Road, per Caltrans. An additional hard closure is along northbound Highway 1 at Molera and Nashua Raod.
CHP Santa Cruz has extended these closures with no estimated time for reopening. CHP said this is due to air quality concerns.
PG&E would not comment further on what was in the air causing the air quality concerns.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and CHP have issued the following road closures due to the Duke Energy Power Plant Fire: Southbound Highway 1 at Struve Rd, Northbound Highway 1 at Potrero Rd, and Dolan Rd. at Via Tanques. pic.twitter.com/mGRJvs31L5
— Supervisor Wendy Root Askew (@supervisoraskew) September 20, 2022
ORIGINAL STORY
A fire at the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. substation in Moss Landing has Highway 1 in the area closed, according to a tweet from Caltrans.
The roadway will take 4-6 hours to open again, a tweet stated at 6:50 a.m. Traffic is backed up in both directions.
We have a crew on the scene and will update you soon.
FYI: the fire causing the road closure on #hwy1 is NOT at the #MossLanding Power Plant. It’s at the adjacent property- a PG&E substation and battery facility.
— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) September 20, 2022
