Massive Medical Supplies Warehouse Fire in Northern California Burns Into 2nd Day

Crews continued to battle a destructive fire June 12 that has consumed a massive, 1 million-square-foot medical supplies warehouse in Northern California.

Firefighters in the city of Tracy managed to contain the blaze to the Medline Industries warehouse, but not before flames damaged the exterior of a FedEx facility nearby, according to the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.

The FedEx facility sustained damage but it is considered stable.

“Our primary concern remains ember cast from the Medline facility,” the fire authority posted on social media. “Crews will continue monitoring the area and quickly address any spot fires that may develop.”

The fire ignited at about 1 p.m. June 11 in the distribution center, according to the Tracy Police Department. Tracy is about 60 miles east of San Francisco.

The fire started near the roof, Brian Bagley, deputy chief with the fire authority, told reporters at a briefing Friday morning. The cause is under investigation.

The warehouse sprinkler system didn’t activate, allowing the flames to spread quickly along a rack high inside the warehouse, Bagley said.

The fire marshal entered the building’s water room during the firefight to find “there was no water flowing,” Bagley said.

“We had limited to no water coming out of those hydrants.”

Crews used 1,600 feet of hose lines, which required two fire engines, to connect to a city fire hydrant to get water, he said.

The flames sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky as medical and surgical supplies burned inside. Employees from the building and surrounding facilities were evacuated as first responders began attacking the blaze.

Medline reported all employees and on-site personnel were safely evacuated and accounted for at 9:30 a.m. June 12, a day after the fire started. No injuries were reported.

The fire burned through the night and crews remained on scene Friday to continue extinguishing hot spots, according to the fire authority.

Crews are rotating back to their stations and surrounding fire agencies are providing coverage, the agency said.

Firefighters were able to save several truck trailers filled with medical and surgical supplies parked outside the warehouse waiting to be picked up for delivery to hospitals throughout the western region, according to officials.

“We are trying to get trucks in to get medical equipment into trucks and out to hospitals that need the equipment,” Bagley said.

But truck drivers may still have to wait several hours before they will be allowed into the area, Bagley added.

Several air monitoring stations were set up in the area. Based on the data, no protection actions were required, the fire authority reported.

Sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and people with respiratory conditions, were encouraged to remain indoors and avoid exposure to smoke when possible, officials said.

The incident area is closed to the public.

The Tracy warehouse, part of Medline’s distribution network, serves parts of Northern California, the company stated.

“Medline’s supply chain is designed with resiliency, scale and flexibility at its core,” the company stated in its update. “Immediately following this incident, Medline activated a command center and a network contingency plan and began incorporating secondary and tertiary distribution centers.”

Medline’s distribution from the Tracy facility was immediately reassigned and the company is in the process of deploying it to other warehouses in its regional network to try to maintain service and support its customers, Medline said.

The Illinois-based company distributes about 335,000 medical and surgical products with 45,000 employees around the globe. About 95 percent of the company’s U.S. customers receive next-day delivery.