Mandatory evacuation orders are in place Thursday, Sept. 5, for an SDG&E battery storage fire in Escondido, according to city, county and media reports.
The city posted an alert for what it called “an active fire incident at the SDG&E Yard” located at 571 Enterprise St. on Thursday afternoon. A San Diego County Office of Emergency Services map showed a battery storage fire at the location at 2:38 p.m.
The county’s notice stated that Enterprise Street was closed between Mission Road and Auto Park Way. Escondido’s city alert stated that the area east of Alpine Street, south of Mission Road, west of Enterprise Street and north of Auto Park Way was under a mandatory evacuation.
A larger area east of Enterprise Street bordered by Interstate 15 and West Valley Parkway was under a shelter-in-place order, according to the county.
Escondido Fire Department units and San Diego County Hazmat are working to contain the fire, according to the city. Crews are attacking the blaze as Escondido and the region are under Excessive Heat Warnings from the National Weather Service with temperatures upward of 100.
The fire, following a similar blaze at a lithium-ion battery energy storage facility in Otay Mesa in May, is fueling concerns among residents in Harmony Grove, Elfin Forest and nearby neighborhoods about a planned Seguro battery facility near those communities. Followers of the Facebook page for Stop Seguro are already noting the current Escondido fire as a reason why the group seeks to stop the Seguro project.