Fire destroys medical equipment warehouse in California and prompts evacuations at nearby facilities

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TRACY, Calif. (AP) — A fire destroyed a medical equipment warehouse in Northern California and sent thick black smoke pouring into the sky Thursday and prompted evacuations of other nearby facilities as authorities fought to get the blaze under control.

The fire ignited at the large distribution center for Medline, a major medical-surgical products provider, in Tracy, a city about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) east of San Francisco. It spread across the street into a FedEx facility, where crews were able to stop it, according to Fire Chief Randall Bradley, of the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.

Officials evacuated a large portion of the area as the wind heightened the risk of spreading embers, said Sgt. Michael Richards, from the city's police department. The 1 million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) warehouse is in a massive industrial park that also houses fulfillment and distribution centers for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.

Medline said all of its employees and other personnel at the site were 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,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.

Tracy Mayor Dan Arriola said the fire is burning in the largest industrial zone in the city and far away from homes.

“I understand that the fire has fully engulfed Medline and they are working to make sure that it’s contained to that particular facility,” he said. FedEx and Amazon distribution centers have been evacuated, he said.

Medline is a supplier of latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments and other medical supplies that Arriola said was key in distributing medical supplies needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials are evaluating air quality and possible impacts to residents of the area, he said. Officials are investigating what started the fire.

A sprinkler system that appeared to be broken and low water pressure in hydrants at the facility hindered the firefight, Bradley said. The issues appeared to be with the warehouse's, not the city's, water system. Authorities don't yet know what went wrong, he said.

“Things worked against us," he said, citing water supply issues, low humidity, high winds and high temperatures. "It was a little bit of a perfect storm for this fire evolving quickly.”

No homes have been evacuated.

Thursday’s high temperature for Tracy was expected to reach 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), with no rain in the forecast.