A massive fire that destroyed much of a huge battery storage facility in Moss Landing raised questions, and possible new hurdles, for California’s efforts to shift most of its electricity generation to renewable energy such as solar and wind.

The fire started at the Vistra Energy battery plant in Moss Landing, roughly 80 miles south of San Francisco. On Thursday, the fire caused 1,700 people to evacuate, closed part of Highway 1, and generated huge flames and significant amounts of smoke. The cause is under investigation.

One of the world’s largest lithium battery plants went up in flames on Thursday, prompting evacuations and warnings to stay inside in Monterey County.

The Moss Landing fire at a lithium battery plant has poured smoke into the sky above Monterey County. The weather service forecasts wind to push it east.

A fire broke out at one of the world's largest battery storage plants in California's Monterey County on Thursday.

A plume of material released from the plant contained hydroflouride, a toxic gas, that is now being monitored by Monterey County.

The 300 MW first phase of Vistra Energy's Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California caught fire Thursday afternoon.

A fire at a one of the world’s largest battery plants in California contained tens of thousands of lithium batteries that store power from renewable energy sources.

A major fire burning at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants in Northern California is sending up flames of toxic smoke.

A fire broke out at a Central California power plant facility, forcing nearby residents to evacuate their homes on Thursday night, officials said.

A major fire Friday at one of the world's largest battery storage plants in Northern California sent up flames of toxic smoke, leading to the evacuation of 1,700 people and the closure of a major highway.