Residents living near a power plant in Central California were ordered to evacuate Thursday night after a fire broke out at the facility.

The dramatic fire at the the Vistra battery storage plant, one of the world’s largest, caused the evacuation of 1,200 people in Northern Monterey County, closed Highway 1 and sent large clouds of toxic black smoke billowing from at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants.

A fire broke out at one of the world's largest lithium battery storage facilities in Monterey County, California, forcing evacuation orders and closing a portion of coastal Highway 1.The fire started at around 3 p.