Our citizens are very alarmed,” one Morro Bay resident said, after the fire along Monterey Bay forced 1,200 people to evacuate.

MOSS LANDING — Flames and smoke in the community of Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County largely were just smoldering late Friday morning following a major fire at a battery storage plant that brought evacuations, closing Highway 1.

Evacuation orders were issued after a fire broke out at a battery facility in Moss Landing, California. The blaze reportedly started at the plant, operated by Vistra Energy, at around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday.