A day after a fire broke out in a lithium battery storage unit at a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California facility in La Verne, fire officials on Wednesday offered mixed news: The flames appeared to be out, but the burned batteries remained dangerously hot and could still trigger an explosive chain reaction.
More than 500 homes remained under mandatory evacuation orders Wednesday, La Verne fire authorities said. Even residents outside the evacuation zone near the water treatment plant should be prepared to leave because it remains unclear when the batteries will cool down, officials said.
“The all clear is going to be a long process,” La Verne Fire Chief Brandon Coatney said. “It’s going to involve de-energizing batteries.”
The fire chief said that once the burned batteries are removed from the facility and surrounding neighborhood, officials can reassess the evacuation orders.
While the batteries were no longer believed to be at risk of exploding, officials said smoke could still form a plume that may release potentially hazardous vapors into the air.
“What would be the turning point where we can relax those orders is when heat is no longer being produced and there are no hazardous vapors coming off them,” Coatney said.
New images released by the La Verne Fire Department showed the batteries inside the storage facility. The massive units, some as large as SUVs, were lined up in a row when the fire started.
Firefighters used about 1,500 gallons of water per minute to extinguish the flames and cool the rechargeable batteries, which are typically used to store energy generated by solar panels at the plant.
Fire officials urged residents in the evacuation zone near the water treatment plant to leave and encouraged those outside the zone to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.
Police said officers knocked on the doors of 504 homes under evacuation orders. No one answered at about half of the homes, police said, while roughly 20% of residents in the evacuation zone said they planned to stay.
A shelter was set up at the La Verne Community Center, but it did not offer overnight accommodations. Instead, the city was prepared to provide hotel vouchers. As of Wednesday, about 30 of the 90 available vouchers had been distributed.
Officials said the water remains safe to drink in La Verne and throughout areas served by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
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