Fortunately no one was injured when a one-million-square-foot Tracy warehouse owned by a medical supply distributor was rapidly engulfed in flames Thursday, after a fire broke out on the roof and caused it to collapse, while a failure of the building’s water supply system hampered firefighting efforts.
A massive fire at a Medline warehouse in Tracy Thursday afternoon destroyed the company’s 1 million-square-foot distribution center after flames broke out on the roof and spread rapidly when the roof collapsed, as KTVU reports. Fire officials reportedly said problems with the facility’s water supply system hampered the initial response, allowing the blaze to fully engulf the building within about 30 to 40 minutes.
More than 200 firefighters and an additional 100 support personnel from agencies across the region were reportedly called in as explosions echoed from inside the warehouse and thick black smoke drifted for miles, visible from parts of the Bay Area.
Strong winds carried embers into neighboring properties, igniting pallet storage areas, trailers, and the exterior of a nearby FedEx facility. According to the Chronicle, crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading into the main building, and several smaller spot fires that broke out nearby were contained by late afternoon.
Officials said no injuries were reported among employees or firefighters, and workers at Medline and surrounding businesses were evacuated. Tracy’s city manager declared a local state of emergency, and fire crews are expected to remain at the site for several days.
“This is such a unique fire,” Tracy Fire Chief Randall Bradley said Thursday evening, per KTVU. “A million-square-foot fire is an extremely rare fire in the United States.”
Air quality agencies are reportedly continuing to monitor smoke from the fire. As the Chronicle reports, records filed with the California Environmental Protection Agency indicate the warehouse stored various industrial chemicals and medical-supply-related materials, including bleach, isopropyl alcohol, sulfuric acid, and smaller quantities of xylene, though officials said they had not identified any immediate public health threat.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Related: Early Morning Berkeley Fire Completely Destroys Warehouse in Gilman District
Top image: South San Joaquin County Fire Authority - Tracy, CA/Facebook
