A fire at a 1 million-square-foot Medline medical supply warehouse in Tracy, California, burned out of control early Friday, sending thick black smoke billowing across the region and prompting evacuations of nearby industrial facilities, with no injuries reported.
The fire ignited Thursday afternoon at the Medline distribution center — a major supplier of latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments and other medical equipment that was a key provider during the Covid-19 pandemic — in an industrial park about 55 miles east of San Francisco. The blaze spread across the street into a FedEx facility, where crews were able to block its advance, according to Fire Chief Randall Bradley of the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.
“We are coordinating closely with local authorities and first responders as we assess the fire’s impact and will share more details as they become available,” a Medline spokesperson said in a statement. The company said all employees and other personnel at the site were accounted for, the Associated Press reported.
Officials evacuated a large portion of the area as wind heightened the risk of spreading embers, said Sgt. Michael Richards of the Tracy Police Department. No homes had been evacuated by early Friday, Richards said. The warehouse is in a large industrial park that also houses fulfillment and distribution centers for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.
Aerial footage showed a raging inferno pumping thick black smoke into the sky, with orange flames and a red-hot glow visible beneath the clouds.
Dan Arriola, Tracy’s mayor, said officials are evaluating air quality and possible impacts to residents of the area. Authorities are also investigating the cause of the fire.
The fire was exacerbated by low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds, Bradley said. Firefighting efforts were hindered by a sprinkler system that appeared to be broken and low water pressure in hydrants at the facility, according to Bradley, who said the issues appeared to be with the warehouse’s water system, not the city’s.
The fire is the latest in a series of industrial incidents in California over recent weeks. MSI previously reported on a chemical tank leak in Garden Grove that prompted evacuation orders for 40,000 residents in May, and a separate incident at a GKN Aerospace facility.