In a flame in Monterey County, where a massive lithium-ion battery storage site exploded into Monterey County - spraying toxic gases into the air and scattering heavy metals on the ground - residents have filed lawsuits accusing several energy companies of failing to maintain the facility's Appropriate fire safety.

According to local officials, the fire began on January 16 after a fire suppression system occurred in the battery storage area of ​​the moss landed in the power plant. It smoldered in a facility 18 miles off the coast of Monterrey for four days, prompting the temporary evacuation of more than 1,200 residents.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by four residents against Texas-based Vistra Energy, which owns burning storage facilities. LG Energy Solution, which installs lithium-ion batteries in the facility; complaints say Pacific gas and electrical with adjacent battery storage facilities.

It accuses the company of “putting profits into profits” and failing to properly maintain fire extinguishing systems and comply with the latest fire safety standards. The latest fire is the fourth largest fire at the facility since 2019, and the lawsuit shows that it has failed to address long-standing safety issues.

“Time and time again we’re seeing companies get stuck in security just to put the community in the way of consequences,” said Erin Brockovich, an environmental advocate who works with the law firm Singleton Schreiber. "When families breathe toxic air, we won't be with us and worry about the long-term health effects of this disaster. They deserve transparency, justice and real protection."

In the consequences of the fire, heavy metals were measured 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal in soil within one mile of the facility, and residents reported skin, eye and respiratory irritation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the levels of particulate matter and fluoride gas released into the air during the fires did not pose a public health risk.

LG declined to comment and could not comment immediately with Vistra. A PG&E spokesman said the utility was aware of the lawsuit, but the fire was not a PG&E incident.

"The Moss Landing Power Plant is located near Moss Landing Electrics in PG&E but is separated from PG&E," the utility said in a statement. "When a sticky battery shooting was detected, our PG&E system and personnel at our Moss Landing Substation started. Emergency procedures.”

It is well known that lithium-ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish because using water triggers chemical reactions, which leads to more batteries ignition. When these batteries burn, they release toxic gases cocktails, including hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds.

Although the EPA guarantees air quality during the incident, the lawsuit alleges that the fire caused residents to suffer from nose and eyes irritation, difficulty breathing, headache, nose bleeding, burning, lungs, dizziness, shortness of breath, poor breathing, sores, sores, skin irritation, etc. It also claims that residents' property was covered with soot, ash and toxic chemicals due to the fire.

Residents are seeking compensation and punitive damages for expenses, including property damage, health status, loss of income during evacuation, and future environmental remediation costs. They also call for an investigation into the root causes of fire protection and the industry adoption of updated safety standards and fire prevention measures.

Chief attorney Gerald Singleton called the fire a wake-up call to the energy storage industry.

“Communities living near these facilities deserve better security, transparency and accountability,” he said in a statement. “Energy sustainability should never come at the expense of public safety.”

A Vistra spokesman had previously said the company was conducting its own investigation into fires and environmental monitoring around the factory.