TL;DR: A lithium-ion battery storage fire reported around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the Metropolitan Water District facility in La Verne kept hundreds of homes under evacuation orders on Wednesday, Sept. 23, while crews cooled two battery units that reheated when water was shut off.

What happened in La Verne?

Fire crews responded around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, to the Metropolitan Water District facility in the 3200 block of Wheeler Avenue in La Verne, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

The site is the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California facility that houses the Weymouth Water Treatment Plant, according to NBC Los Angeles. The fire started in a battery energy storage system near a solar panel field on the northeast side of the facility.

La Verne Fire Chief Brandon Coatney said the incident followed a “minor explosion” and ensuing fire in one of two battery storage systems at the Wheeler Avenue facility, according to the Los Angeles Times. FOX 11 Los Angeles described it as a small explosion in an outdoor lithium battery storage unit near the solar panel field.

Crews from the La Verne Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Hazmat crews were brought in, and firefighters sprayed water to prevent spread.

One employee suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. FOX 11 Los Angeles also reported one civilian was injured and taken to a hospital.

Where is the evacuation zone?

The initial hazardous-materials alert called for an evacuation order for everyone near Wheeler and Bonita Avenue, according to NBC Los Angeles.

La Verne police said shopping centers along Wheeler Avenue north of Foothill Boulevard were evacuated as a precaution, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Some evacuation orders were later downgraded to warnings, while an evacuation order remained in the immediate vicinity of the facility, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. By early Tuesday evening, firefighters said the orders were only impacting the approximately 185 properties closest to the facility, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, approximately 200 homes remained under evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Times. A separate Wednesday report said more than 500 homes were within the evacuation zone, according to ABC7 Los Angeles, and NBC Los Angeles reported more than 500 homes were under the mandatory evacuation order.

FOX 11 Los Angeles reported the remaining Wednesday evacuation area was bounded by Moreno Avenue to the west, Foothill Boulevard to the north, B Street to the east and Paseo Drive, Winterhaven Drive and Kendrick Drive to the south, citing a statement posted on La Verne’s website.

Residents within that area were ordered to remain evacuated until further notice, and residents with nowhere to go were encouraged to call the La Verne Police Department Watch Commander at 909-596-1913, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

Where do evacuees go?

An evacuation center was established at the La Verne Community Center on 3680 D St., according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. NBC Los Angeles also identified the La Verne Community Center on D Street as the evacuation center.

For preppers, the lesson is practical: leave when an evacuation order is issued for a hazmat fire, rather than waiting to see smoke. Fire officials urged residents inside the evacuation zone to remain away from their homes, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Officials said if the batteries reignited, crews might not have time or personnel needed to evacuate everyone safely.

Keep identification, medications, phone chargers, cash, water, snacks, pet supplies and a change of clothes in one bag that can leave immediately. If you stay with family or friends, tell someone outside the zone where you are going and keep your vehicle fueled.

What about schools and closures?

Grace Miller Elementary School on Holly Oak Street, a block away from the fire site, was placed under a shelter-in-place order on Tuesday, according to NBC Los Angeles. Students and employees at Bonita High School on D Street were also ordered to stay indoors.

ABC7 Los Angeles reported Grace Miller Elementary School was under a shelter-in-place order just east of the facility, with Holly Oak Street south of the campus closed to traffic. Students appeared to be released while firefighters battled the blaze.

Parents told Eyewitness News that Ramona Middle School and Bonita High School were also affected, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Holy Name of Mary School, Damien High School and the University of La Verne were evacuated, and the university said all classes were canceled until further notice.

FOX 11 Los Angeles reported shelter-in-place orders were issued for Grace Elementary School and Bonita High School on Tuesday. Nearby Grace Elementary School was closed Wednesday and planned to be closed again Thursday.

The University of La Verne closure was also noted in the Wednesday follow-up reporting. ABC7 Los Angeles reported the fire prompted closure of the university and that the university announced it would reopen Wednesday.

If you have children in schools near industrial or utility sites, keep your emergency contact information current and know who is authorized for pickup. ABC7 Los Angeles described parents arriving at Ramona Middle School around normal pickup time while Wheeler Road was blocked, making pickup hectic.

Is the fire out?

No. Crews described a continuing thermal risk into Wednesday.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, the L.A. County Fire Department said the fire had been knocked down, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. FOX 11 Los Angeles reported the fire was largely extinguished by 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. By Tuesday evening, no flare-ups had been reported, and crews were using a drone to monitor the batteries, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

That status changed overnight. A second battery storage unit next to the one that burned Tuesday began smoking and making popping sounds due to heat exposure from the original fire, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. By about 7 a.m. Wednesday, the temperature inside had jumped about 20 degrees to around 90 degrees, Battalion Chief Mark Savage said.

ABC7 Los Angeles reported the same detail: the unit was in the low 70s at midnight and approaching the 90s Wednesday morning. Savage said crews heard pops and saw puffs of smoke around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and saw that a door jamb had been blown ajar.

Chief Coatney said cooling measures had resumed Wednesday morning, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Those measures primarily involved streams of water being sprayed on both battery units.

On Wednesday afternoon, crews again shut off those streams to see if the units had cooled, but temperatures again spiked upward in both units, Coatney said, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. As a result, crews resumed spraying water.

Firefighters estimated there were fewer than 20 lithium batteries in the storage facility, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Both the unit that caught fire and the unit monitored Wednesday were 8 feet wide, 8 feet high and 20 feet long, Savage said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Savage said the original battery bank fire had subsided with no active fire there, but expressed concern that behavior in the second unit would continue and require the same cooling measures employed Tuesday, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Is air and drinking water safe?

Lithium-ion battery fires can emit toxic smoke harmful to humans, according to the Los Angeles Times.

That hazard drove the shelter-in-place guidance. People at schools and residents near the commercial building were urged to stay indoors with doors, windows and vents shut, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Firefighters maintained a steady flow of water on the damaged battery and the adjacent unit to prevent overheating and release of toxic vapors, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Officials said temperatures began to rise when water was no longer applied, creating potential for another fire and release of toxic gases.

As of Wednesday reporting, air-quality monitoring was showing no sign of dangerous toxins, Savage said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. FOX 11 Los Angeles also reported air-quality monitoring was showing no sign of dangerous toxins. ABC7 Los Angeles added that officials said no toxic fumes had been detected outside the water treatment plant.

The Metropolitan Water District said its water supply was not affected by the fire, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The water district supplies drinking water to parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, according to NBC Los Angeles.

For households, the preparedness takeaway is to follow shelter-in-place instructions during a battery fire: go inside, close windows and doors, shut vents, turn off ventilation that pulls outside air, and wait for official all-clear messages. Keep a battery-powered radio and extra phone power so you can receive evacuation upgrades.

What caused it and what happens next?

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Savage said nothing like this had happened there before, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. That history matters for neighbors who told reporters they did not know the water treatment plant housed large battery banks with fire potential.

Officials had not provided an estimate for when evacuation orders might be lifted, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Until officials announce a cause and a re-entry plan, residents should not re-enter an evacuation zone to check homes, collect items or let pets out. Stay out, monitor city and fire department updates, and document any shelter costs and missed work in case assistance becomes available.

Sources referenced