‘A Perfect Storm’: Massive Tracy Medical Supply Warehouse Fire Still Burning

Fire officials responded just after 1 p.m. Thursday to the 5700 block of Promontory Parkway, where a structure fire had broken out on the roof of a distribution facility for Medline, one of the largest medical supply manufacturers and distributors in the U.S.

Tracy, a major commuter hub for the Bay Area, is home to massive e-commerce and distribution centers, many 1 million square feet or larger. City officials said hundreds of employees work on the site.

“We are grateful that all Medline employees and on-site personnel were safely evacuated and accounted for,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. Bradley said the fire spread quickly from the roof to the rest of the building, engulfing it in flames within a 30-minute period despite an “aggressive” internal fire attack.

The firefighters battled high winds, low humidity and hot temperatures. They also lacked sufficient water supply — the facility’s two fire sprinkler systems did not activate, and its fire hydrants lacked water pressure, Bradley said.

City-operated fire hydrants outside the facility operated correctly, he said. Bradley said the water supply issues will require a post-incident investigation, but he believes the water supply issue was a facility issue.

The fire spread across the street to a FedEx warehouse, burning pallets and containers stacked outside. Bradley said efforts to stop the spread of flames into that warehouse were ongoing, but “promising” on Thursday afternoon, and he believed they would be able to save the structure. There were also multiple spot fires throughout the city, which Bradley said crews were able to extinguish.

Between 100 and 150 firefighters responded to the scene, and Bradley said he expects personnel to remain for several days to try to stop the blaze from spreading further across the 1,800-acre industrial park.

According to city manager Midori Lichtwardt, in addition to the Medline and FedEx facilities, the area also includes a Home Depot, Amazon and multiple other operational warehouses.

As the Medline facility continued to burn Thursday afternoon, billowing dark smoke into the sky, intermittent explosions could be heard outside the site.

Bradley said those were likely caused by ruptured tires on distribution trucks, or explosions of some product inside the facility.

It’s not clear if any of the products stored in the facility could pose a risk to the surrounding area, Bradley said. The city is monitoring air quality and had not issued any warnings on Thursday. Local public health officials urged nearby residents to stay indoors if possible and keep windows and doors closed.

“Among the chemicals that were consumed in the Medline fire were an assortment of respiratory irritants, toxic gases, carcinogens, and at least one neurotoxin,” Dr. Maggie Park, San Joaquin County Public Health Services’ public health officer, said in a statement.

According to California Environmental Protection Agency records, Medline stores xylene, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide, as well as bleach, at the facility.

“If anyone in the vicinity of the smoke plumes inhaled the smoke and is experiencing sudden onset respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or throat irritation, they should report to their nearest emergency department for further evaluation and treatment,” Park said.