One of the world's largest battery storage facilities is being consumed by flames near San Francisco on Friday, and officials say the best solution is to let the factory continue to burn, even as it releases toxic fumes into the air.

People living near a power plant in Central California were ordered to evacuate their homes Thursday night after a fire broke out at the facility, officials said.

A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people.