Evacuation orders were issued In La Verne on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 22 — and will remain in effect throughout the night — after a lithium-ion battery fire broke out at a Metropolitan Water District facility, authorities said.
The fire burned at the district’s facility in the 3000 block of Wheeler Avenue, according to Metropolitan Water District officials.
The fire involved a battery energy storage system near a solar panel field on the northeast side of the property, which also houses the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant. The district said the safety of its water supply was not affected. As of Tuesday night, the cause of the fire remained unknown, said La Verne Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Savage.
Due to the hazardous nature of lithium batteries, crews were mainly spraying the area with water to prevent the spread of the flames. By evening, the initial fire in the battery storage container had subsided in response to successful cooling measures implemented by fire crews, Savage said.
But authorities also noticed popping sounds and smoke coming from an adjacent battery storage unit, sparking concerns that a second container might catch fire. Savage said the unusual noises and the smoke were likely a response to the heat exposure from the initial fire.
As authorities monitored the second storage container, evacuation orders will remain in effect at least through the night, Savage said. They plan to re-evaluate the situation in the morning and have to “wait and see” what will happen.
“We don’t have any active fires, but we are monitoring the temperature of that unit,” Savage said.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the second storage container was within a normal temperature range and no cooling measures were needed yet. However, Savage said, the situation is “dynamic” and the behavior of the battery storage unit is “unpredictable.”
Should the second unit catch fire, crews are standing by, ready to implement cooling measures. In the event of a second fire, evacuation zones might expand again, Savage said.
Savage said the fire was reported around 11:40 a.m. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews also responded to the scene.
When firefighters arrived, there was a small explosion in the battery unit, but no firefighters were injured. One civilian employee was hospitalized with minor injuries from fleeing the area, Savage said.
Savage said the extent of the danger to nearby areas was being assessed, adding, “You don’t want to be breathing smoke off-gassing from batteries, I know that.”
Earlier in the day, an Alert LA County map showed evacuation areas stretching south of the 210 Freeway through portions of La Verne, including areas near Foothill Boulevard, Bonita Avenue and Third Street. The alert also identified B Street, North White Avenue and Williams Avenue among the boundaries of the affected area.
“LEAVE NOW,” the alert said, warning that people’s safety could be in danger if they remained in the area.
Police also ordered residents east of Wheeler Avenue to shelter in place and keep windows and doors closed until further notice, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The University of La Verne announced that it was evacuating its campus and canceling classes for the remainder of the day.
Shelter-in-place orders were also issued for Grace Miller Elementary School and Bonita High School, CBS reported. An official with the Bonita Unified School District declined to comment on how the orders were affecting the campuses.
All city sports programming within La Verne was also canceled as a precaution because of potential air-quality concerns.
Authorities urged people evacuating the area to use caution and call 911 if they needed emergency assistance.
“A hazmat team is on site and, out of an abundance of caution, has required us to do an evacuation,” Councilmember Tim Hepburn said. “Most of it is shelter-in-place, but there are evacuations for certain areas close to the fire as we are concerned about toxicity.”
An evacuation center was set up at the La Verne Community Center, at 3680 D St.
The Inland Valley Humane Society was on site at the center with crates, food, and other supplies to assist owners and pets affected by the evacuation.
The cause of the fire will be investigated at a later time, Savage said.
City News Service contributed to this report.