Overview
- A lithium‑ion battery storage unit at the Metropolitan Water District facility in La Verne ignited Tuesday, producing a small explosion that prompted mandatory evacuation orders for roughly 500 homes and temporary school closures.
- Fire crews kept damaged and heat‑exposed battery containers under continuous remote cooling because lithium‑ion cells can enter prolonged thermal runaway, reignite, or emit toxic gases that are unsafe to approach.
- Specialist teams worked overnight to de‑energize and remove the burned battery modules and officials announced Friday that evacuation orders and warnings for the neighborhood have been lifted.
- Round‑the‑clock air and water monitoring during the response found no hazardous off‑site emissions and the district reported that drinking water treatment was not affected, though local monitoring will continue while debris is hauled away.
- The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the incident has renewed scrutiny of how smaller, behind‑the‑meter battery installations are sited, inspected and regulated as California expands energy storage.