A massive fire tore through a one-million-square-foot Medline warehouse in Tracy on Thursday afternoon, completely destroying the medical supply distributor's distribution center. The blaze, which began on the roof, spread rapidly after the roof collapsed, according to fire officials.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported among employees or firefighters.
The fire broke out around midday, and problems with the building's water supply system hampered initial firefighting efforts, allowing the flames to fully engulf the structure within 30 to 40 minutes. More than 200 firefighters and an additional 100 support personnel from agencies across the region responded to the scene.
Explosions echoed from inside the warehouse as 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. Crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading into the main FedEx building, and several smaller spot fires that broke out nearby were contained by late afternoon.
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. "A million-square-foot fire is an extremely rare fire in the United States."
Air quality agencies are monitoring smoke from the fire. 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.
Officials said they had not identified any immediate public health threat. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.