Monterey County residents near Moss Landing were told late Tuesday to close their windows and doors overnight after a fire broke out at the Vistra Energy lithium-ion battery storage facility near the Moss Landing Harbor.

Crews have begun work on the first step of a long process in cleaning up the wreckage of the Moss Landing battery storage plant after a huge fire last month drew national attention and raised questions about the safety of a new technology needed to continue California’s expansion of renewable energy.

Light smoke has been reported at the Vistra Battery Facility in Moss Landing. Monterey County officials say the smoke appears to be coming from the previously burned area within the Vistra Moss Landing Lithium-Ion Battery facility. It's been nearly a month since a large fire swept through the facility.

During the county briefing Wednesday, on-scene coordinator Eric Sandusky said crews have started delinking batteries – disconnecting them from one another – in hopes of reducing the risk of large