Schools under shelter-in-place order amid lithium battery fire in eastern LA County – NBC Los Angeles

Schools under shelter-in-place order amid lithium battery fire in eastern LA County  NBC Los Angeles

An elementary and high school were affected by the blaze. Residents and students at nearby schools had to shelter in place for a couple of hours. Charisse Gibson report for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. A lithium battery fire broke out in the city of La Verne in eastern Los Angeles County Tuesday, prompting elementary and high school students and staff in the area to shelter in place. The fire was reported inside a building belonging to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Wheeler Avenue off U.S. Route 66 at around 11:43 a.m. The water district confirmed that the fire started at a "battery energy storage system near a solar panel field on the northeast side at the facility, which houses Weymouth Water Treatment Plant." The water district, which supplies drinking water to parts of LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, said water supply was not affected by the fire.

🚨 LaVernePD: 9/22/26 12:50 pm: Hazmat Incident. An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for everyone near Wheeler and Bonita Avenue. Gather family and LEAVE NOW. Your safety is in danger if you stay. Use caution while evacuating. Follow instructions from emergency personnel.1/2 pic.twitter.com/xFDXVG7yNR While the blaze was contained to one structure, Grace Miller Elementary School on Holly Oak