Battery Fire Evacuations
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire at La Verne Water Plant Prompts Evacuations and School Closures
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The evacuation zone was bounded by the 210 Freeway, Foothill Boulevard, Third Street, B Street, North White Avenue and Williams Avenue; an Alert LA County message warned residents to “LEAVE NOW.”
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Fire officials said lithium-ion battery fires can involve thermal runaway, a self-sustaining chemical reaction that may spread to adjacent batteries and release toxic gases including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
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Evacuation warnings extended north and east of the facility, including Moreno Avenue and a senior mobile-home park, while Holly Oak Street south of Grace Miller Elementary was closed to traffic.
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Beyond the schools named in the summary, Ramona Middle School, Holy Name of Mary School and Damien High School were also affected or evacuated; officials said Grace Miller students appeared to be released while firefighters worked at the scene.
A lithium-ion battery fire erupted Tuesday at a battery storage facility near the Metropolitan Water District's Weymouth Water Treatment Plant in La Verne, California, triggering swift evacuation orders for hundreds of residents. NBC Los Angeles reported that authorities issued immediate evacuation warnings for areas around Wheeler and Bonita avenues, while residents east of Wheeler Avenue were told to shelter in place with doors and windows sealed shut.
The hazardous-materials incident forced schools, shopping centers, and the University of La Verne to evacuate or cancel operations. One employee suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized, CBS News reported. Fire officials said lithium-ion battery fires can trigger thermal runaway — a self-sustaining chemical reaction that spreads between batteries and releases toxic gases like hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide.
Evacuation Zone Covers Large Parts of La Verne
Firefighters from La Verne and Los Angeles County responded to the fire at the water treatment plant's battery energy storage system. KTLA reported the evacuation zone stretched across a wide area bounded by the 210 Freeway, Foothill Boulevard, Third Street, B Street, North White Avenue and Williams Avenue. An Alert LA County message told residents in the zone to 'LEAVE NOW' immediately.
Beyond the main evacuation zone, warnings extended to senior mobile-home parks north and east of the facility, including areas near Moreno Avenue. Holly Oak Street south of Grace Miller Elementary School was closed to traffic. Multiple schools faced disruption: Grace Miller Elementary, Ramona Middle School, Holy Name of Mary School, and Damien High School were all evacuated or affected by the incident.
Lithium Batteries Reignite, Prolonging the Emergency
Hours after the initial fire, the situation worsened when damaged lithium-ion batteries began heating up again. KTLA reported that firefighters had to resume intensive cooling efforts to prevent another full-blown fire. Lithium battery fires are notoriously difficult to contain because thermal runaway — the self-sustaining chemical reaction — can restart even after initial suppression.
The prolonged incident kept evacuation orders in place well beyond Tuesday evening. NBC Los Angeles noted that neighbors were still forced out of their homes as firefighters worked to ensure the batteries would not reignite again. The cause of the original fire remained unknown at the time of reporting.
Water Supply Remains Safe Despite Plant Closure
Despite the emergency at the water treatment facility, officials reassured the public that La Verne's water supply was not affected by the battery fire. Daily Dispatch reported that the incident occurred at a battery energy storage system near a solar-panel field — separate from the facility's core water treatment operations. The storage system powers equipment at the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant.
Authorities said the battery system's purpose was to store energy from solar panels at the site. The fire's cause was still under investigation, and CBS News reported that one employee was the only person injured in the incident. Officials expected to determine the fire's origin once the scene was fully secured and cooled.
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