Thick clouds of smoke could be seen for thousands after a massive fire engulfed a million-square-foot medical supplies warehouse in Tracy on Thursday.
The fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m. on the roof of the Medline Distribution Centerjust south of Interstate 205 and about eight miles west of the Central Valley city’s downtown area, said Kaylin Heefner, spokesperson for the Tracy Police Department.
Local authorities, “along with officers from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol, worked to evacuate the building,” Heefner said. “Everyone was safely exited from the building and accounted for, no injuries were reported.”
The sprinklers were reportedly not operating when firefighters made entry into the warehouse, according to ABC7.
During a Thursday evening news conference, Tracy Fire Chief Randall Bradley said that an “aggressive fire attack with a limited water supply, high winds, high temperatures, humidity made firefighting very difficult.”
The fire spread from the roof down into the warehouse facility and extended into a neighboring warehouse, a FedEx facility. Firefighters were able to put out the fire there.
Other warehouses that surround the Medline Distribution Center were evacuated as a precaution.
Officials from the San Joaquin County Fire Authority called the building a total loss.
As of 7 pm, the fire continued to burn the warehouse. Officials provided no information on crews’ progress in containing the blaze.
Authorities will not be able to begin their investigation into the cause of the fire until it is completely extinguished, Heefner said.
In a statement, Medline said all its employees and on-site personnel were safe and accounted for.
“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,” the statement said.
Despite the billowing black smoke caused by the fire that was spotted from the Bay Area, the air quality in the area was still considered good Thursday evening, Jaime Holt, spokesperson with the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District, told ABC7 Eyewitness.
As the fire continues, Holt recommended that people who are sensitive or at-risk — such as older adults, children and those with heart or lung conditions — should take precautions including turning on air purifiers and/or HVAC units, closing windows, and wearing an N95 mask if it’s necessary to be outside.
In a statement, the district said that if a resident saw ash or smelled smoke, they might be affected by fine particulate matter pollution. To reduce exposure, it’s recommended that residents stay indoors when possible.
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