Prison staff, inmates ordered to shelter in place due to a fire at lithium-ion battery facility

A fire at a lithium-ion energy storage facility in a San Diego suburb reportedly prompted fire officials to order a prison to shelter in place.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Cal Fire officials put nearby businesses under an evacuation warning due to a fire Wednesday at an energy storage facility in Otay Mesa, a suburb of San Diego. Inmates at staff at a nearby prison were told shelter in place.

Firefighters didn’t immediately enter the smoldering facility because lithium-ion batteries can heat up quickly. Drones showed the air quality inside the building was unsafe for firefighters, and fire officials feared that the fire and chemicals could spread to nearby buildings, prompting the evacuation warning.

Firefighters worked “through the night,” the Union-Tribune reported, pumping water into the building’s sprinkler system, and the evacuation warning was lifted later that night.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known. In September 2023, a fire at another facility caused evaluations of homes and businesses within a quarter mile of the fire, while those within a half mile of the fire were told to shelter in place.