A lithium battery fire broke out in the city of La Verne in eastern Los Angeles County Tuesday, prompting elementary and high school students and staff in the area to shelter in place.
The fire was reported inside a building belonging to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Wheeler Avenue off U.S. Route 66 at around 11:43 a.m.
The water district confirmed that the fire started at a “battery energy storage system near a solar panel field on the northeast side at the facility, which houses Weymouth Water Treatment Plant.”
The water district, which supplies drinking water to parts of LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, said water supply was not affected by the fire.
🚨 LaVernePD: 9/22/26 12:50 pm: Hazmat Incident. An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for everyone near Wheeler and Bonita Avenue. Gather family and LEAVE NOW. Your safety is in danger if you stay. Use caution while evacuating. Follow instructions from emergency personnel.
— Ready Los Angeles County (@ReadyLACounty) September 22, 2026
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While the blaze was contained to one structure, Grace Miller Elementary School on Holly Oak Street, a block away from the fire site, was placed under a shelter-in-place order.
Students and employees at Bonita High School on D Street were also ordered to stay indoors.
People at the schools and residents near the commercial building were urged to stay indoors with doors, windows and vents shut.
Nearby roadways, including Foothill Boulevard between Moreno and B streets, may be blocked to traffic while firefighters battle the blaze, officials said.
An evacuation center was established at La Verne Community Center on D Street.
