At around 3 a.m.local time on 21 January 2026,a battery energy storage unit supplying 20 Tesla electric vehicle charging points caught fire in the car park of Creekside Marketplace in San Marcos,California.The fire was contained within the storage unit,with no spread to nearby charging facilities.

The San Marcos Fire Department attended the scene promptly after receiving the alert,bringing the fire under control within an hour and restricting it to the battery enclosure.The city government confirmed there were no casualties and stated that the damage was confined solely to the affected storage unit.

As a safety precaution,around half of the shopping centre’s car park was temporarily closed.Several adjacent businesses were also closed during the response and monitoring period for public safety reasons.

Fire officials advised that crews would remain on site to monitor the damaged unit for possible re-ignition until it had been fully removed and deactivated.This ongoing monitoring follows standard procedures for lithium-ion battery fires,which can retain heat and reignite hours or days after initial extinguishment.

At 11:15 a.m.on 21 January,San Marcos City issued an official update verifying the incident details and reassuring the public that the situation was under control.The cause of the fire remains under investigation,with no further damage or injuries reported beyond the storage unit.