San Diego Gas & Electric and the Escondido Fire Department announced Saturday that a stubborn fire in a lithium-ion battery unit is out and lifted evacuation orders for the surrounding area.
The fire broke out just after noon on Thursday in one of 24 battery storage units at the site, prompting evacuations in an area of several blocks and school closures in the vicinity.
The evacuation area was east of Alpine Street, south of Mission Road, west of Enterprise Street, and north of Auto Park Way.
In a joint statement, the utility and fire department said the fire had burned itself out at 1 a.m. on Friday, temperatures of the surrounding structures have returned to normal, and air quality in the area is safe. The evacuation orders were lifted at noon
“The health and safety of the community and surrounding areas have been the top priority in responding to this incident,” according to the statement. “The cooperation of the surrounding businesses has been greatly appreciated.”
The power storage facility opened in 2017 and was recognized as a ground-breaking utility project of the year. It can store power generated by solar panels and wind turbines for use at night.
There have been calls for a moratorium on new battery-storage projects after a number of fires, including one recently in Otay Mesa.
