A new blaze has come about at the Vistra Battery Facility in Monterey County, California that initially caught fire during late January. The plant was involved in manufacturing lithium batteries which is the preferred mineral for so-called renewable energy sources.

After the first fire, Biden’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with local officials, stated that no toxins were released from the fire at the energy storage facility.

However, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories at San José State head Dr. Ivano Aiello revealed to KQED that his team’s soil analysis around the Elkhorn Slough nature preserve revealed dramatically increased levels of three toxic heavy metals in the top layer of soil from approximately 100 sites, suggesting these were deposited recently due to the fire. Area residents also reported having health problems shortly after the January fire as well.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay