Breaking News! Tesla United States Storage Project Catches Fire

According to reports from local media and the fire department in the United States, on August 30, a large area located in the remote southeastern region of Monterey County, California... A fire broke out at the base, and the project is byTeslaThe Megapack energy storage system under the brand.

Image source: Screenshot from webpage

The fire broke out at around 11:00 a.m. local time on August 30. The Monterey County Fire Department stated that the incident occurred at a Tesla Megapack energy storage unit.Lithium-ion batteryA fire broke out, accompanied by a large amount of white smoke, spreading over a wide area. Since the incident occurred in a sparsely populated area, it did not pose a direct threat to residential areas. However, relevant authorities have issued an air quality warning, advising nearby residents to avoid the area and keep doors and windows closed.

It is understood that the battery energy storage system has been confirmed to be owned by Tesla and is located at the Parkfield Solar Plant, which is part of the California Solar Flats project.

Real-time records from the California Fire Department show that the first firefighting teams arrived at the scene before 11:20, but faced rescue challenges unique to energy storage facilities: traditional water-based extinguishing systems could not penetrate the sealed battery modules, while dry ice extinguishing agents were powerless against the continuously released heat.

Image source: Screenshot from the webpage

Tesla's on-site team emergency response includes: the urgent evacuation of five surrounding residential areas, remotely cutting off the power transmission channel, and activating the built-in fire suppression system.

However, an internal report from the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services revealed that the two-mile radius evacuation order was not issued until 5:21 p.m., exposing a critical flaw in the safety assessment system for energy storage facilities—the current standard sets the risk radius at 150 meters, which significantly deviates from the actual extent of thermal radiation spread.

The fire continued until around 8:00 PM on August 30th.

This is another fire incident that has occurred in the U.S. energy storage industry since the beginning of this year.

Public information shows that Tesla Megapack is a high-density energy storage system specifically designed for utility-scale applications.Lithium batteryThe system, however, has previously experienced several fire incidents in places like Australia and the United States. Industry experts point out that lithium-ion batteries may pose a "thermal runaway" risk in cases of overheating, short circuit, or damage.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear. Tesla and PG&E have stated that they are actively cooperating with fire and regulatory agencies in the investigation. The California Energy Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have also become involved.

This incident is expected to once again trigger extensive discussions on safety standards and risk emergency procedures for energy storage systems.