UPDATE (Sunday, 10:50 a.m.) - The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has released more information on the solar farm fire that triggered an evacuation order in southeast Monterey County this weekend.
At around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, the agency says CAL FIRE responded to a report of a possible vegetation fire in the area of the California Solar Flats facility on the 92000 block of Turkey Flat Road.
Upon arrival, they reportedly discovered that a battery at the solar facility was on fire.
Officials say unified command was established between CAL FIRE and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
Out of an abundance of caution, a request to begin evacuations for areas southeast of Parkfield within a 2-mile radius of the California Solar Flats was made.
A total of 5 residences were evacuated, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
Tesla Field Services Response Team representatives reportedly arrived at the scene and determined that there was no immediate danger to the public.
Based upon their assessment, authorities say the team recommended that the evacuation order be lifted.
A Tesla Field Service Response Team remained on site to continue monitoring the situation on Saturday night, according to officials.
Should the need to issue new evacuation orders present itself, Tesla will reportedly request assistance from emergency services personnel.
__
UPDATE (Saturday, 8:35 p.m.) - Evacuation orders have been canceled in Monterey County.
Traffic control is no longer in effect on Highway 41, according to the CHP.
__
ORIGINAL (Saturday, 7 p.m.) - Traffic control is in place along a portion of Highway 41 after a fire broke out at a solar farm in Monterey County on Saturday.
At 4:33 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported that it would shut down Turkey Flat Road starting at the Highway 41 intersection in North San Luis Obispo County.
The road leads north to Cal Flats Solar Farm near Parkfield, where a vegetation fire broke out at 11:13 a.m. on Saturday, according to the South Monterey County Fire Protection District.
Around 5 p.m., the Monterey County Sheriff's Office alerted the public that evacuation orders had been issued for areas southeast of Parkfield due to a lithium-ion battery fire.
The agency added that law enforcement, hazmat teams, and additional resources were headed to the scene.
According to Caltrans, traffic on Highway 41 remains clear as of 7 p.m.
There's no word yet on how many residents are being impacted by the evacuations.
