On January 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded its supplemental air monitoring efforts near the Vistra Energy battery power storage facility in Moss Landing, California. This initiative was part of a response to a fire that began on January 16. According to EPA findings, there were no public health risks from hydrogen fluoride and particulate matter during the incident. The agency demobilized its operations following consultations with the Monterey County Incident Command.
The request for EPA's involvement came from Monterey County after the fire broke out. In response, EPA installed nine monitoring stations in strategic locations to track potential hazards like hydrogen fluoride—a toxic gas emitted by lithium-ion battery fires—and particulate matter. These stations were positioned at various points: two at the facility itself, four nearby including one at Moss Landing, and three more in communities situated due east of the fire and areas south near Castroville and north around Moss Landing Middle School.
Results indicated that particulate matter levels aligned with regional air quality indices for both Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay areas, without surpassing moderate levels. Hydrogen fluoride concentrations remained within California's human health standards.
Alongside EPA's efforts, Vistra Energy employed a third-party environmental consultant specializing in air monitoring to conduct both roaming and fixed assessments across local communities. New air monitoring installations replaced those initially set up by EPA as part of ongoing vigilance measures. A map detailing these locations is available on the county’s incident website.
The Monterey Bay Air Resources District continues its regulatory monitoring of particulate matter through standard devices and wildfire smoke sensors. Throughout this period, data collected by EPA has been shared with relevant state and local agencies to aid public health decision-making processes involving North Monterey County Fire, Monterey County Environmental Health, and Cal Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
For further information about ongoing developments or past data reports related to this incident, resources are available online at www.countyofmonterey.gov and www.readymontereycounty.org.