A massive fire broke out in Tracy that destroyed a 1 million-square-foot medical supply distribution center, sent large plumes of thick, toxic smoke into the air, and littered neighborhoods with debris. Firefighters continue to battle the fire at Medline Industries in the 5700 block of Promontory Parkway. Officials said Saturday it could still take a few more days to extinguish, as crews targeted the seat of the fire on the east end of the building. Large smoke plumes have dissipated, and fire crews have been downgraded from a high of 120 personnel to 20. (See an 8 a.m. update on Saturday from the South San Joaquin Fire Authority’s chief in the video below.) The fire broke out in an area with other warehouses like FedEx and Amazon. The majority of businesses have remained in operation. On Saturday, Medline’s structural engineers were at the site and discussions were underway about removing employee cars and a long-term plan for the hazardous site. What caused the fire? The cause of the fire is still being investigated. South San Joaquin County Fire Authority Chief Randall Bradley said the fire was believed to have started on the roof of the building. Crews responded around 1 p.m. Thursday and found “heavy fire” coming from the roof. Bradley said sprinklers were not operating and there was no water pressure for fire hydrants at the facility. He added that the failure of the private water system “significantly impacted” crews battling the fire. The sprinkler system was last tested in January. With the sprinklers not working, the large warehouse was “fully consumed” within 40 minutes.The South San Joaquin Fire Authority said Medline hired a third-party contractor to do the sprinkler inspection in January.KCRA 3 asked the fire authority and Medline who that third party was. Neither has provided an answer.The fire authority said testing of the sprinkler systems is required at least once a year, along with major sprinkler tests every five years.Videos from the fireMany KCRA 3 viewers shared videos of the massive fire at the medical supply warehouse. One of the videos obtained by KCRA 3 was recorded by someone inside the warehouse when the fire started showing flames at the top of a storage rack and sparks falling to the ground. The person who shared the video did not want to be identified, but said they heard the fire alarm go off and did not see sprinklers activate. Another anonymous viewer shared the video below near the fire:Neighborhoods littered with debrisThe fire scattered debris across neighborhoods and sparked spot fires across the city. Pieces of debris were also found in parks, trails and roadways. Resident Kim DeFrancis told KCRA 3’s Anahita Jafary that the debris was “soft, light, crispy.” Homeowners in the Tracy Hills neighborhood reported finding black, foam-like material covering yards, sidewalks and landscaping.“It was pretty bad. It was covered from the street up to here,” resident Gilbert Coronado told KCRA 3’s Denzen Cortez. The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services urged people to not touch, move or collect debris. Officials said the debris could contain hazardous materials, unstable containers or residue from burned chemicals. Officials are also creating a reporting system with which residents can identify locations where debris has been found. Air quality concernsSan Joaquin County Public Health Services warned residents of potential health risks from the fire. Officials said respiratory irritants, toxic gases, carcinogens and “at least one neurotoxin” are present in the smoke and could impact communities nearby. The San Joaquin Valley Air District issued a separate warning saying the particulate matter and other pollutants can trigger asthma attacks, aggravate chronic bronchitis and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Residents impacted by smoke were told to keep windows and doors closed, use air filtration systems and keep pets indoors. The South San Joaquin County Fire Authority chief said air quality was being monitored at three smoke locations Saturday. Michael Kleeman, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, explained the potential dangers of the smoke.”When it burns, it isn’t just producing the same type of particle in the atmosphere; it’s producing things that contain traces of metal and the byproducts of burning plastics and the byproducts of other things that are potentially toxic,” Kleeman said.What is Medline? Medline was founded in 1966 by Jim and Jon Mills, and the company says it’s the largest provider of medical-surgical products, according to its website. The company recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. It is a distributor of about 335,000 healthcare products, including approximately 190,000 under the Medline brand and about 70,000 of those self-manufactured, according to the company. The company has 70 global distribution centers and 30 global manufacturing facilities. Medline operates other distribution centers in San Joaquin County in Manteca and Lathrop. The company also has facilities in Southern California. The company distributes medical supplies to major hospitals and health systems in Northern California, including Sutter Health, Kaweah Health, Enloe Health, Stanford Medicine, Carson Tahoe Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Medline provided an update on its response to the fire to KCRA 3 on Saturday.Medical products previously distributed through the Tracy facility have already been reassigned and most of the order lines have been rerouted to other Medline centers in the region, the company said. The company also said regional staffing and transportation have been boosted since the fire. Brian Bagley, a deputy fire chief with the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority, said the fire could have national repercussions, though Medline said its supply chain is “designed with resiliency.”Sutter Health told KCRA 3 it did not anticipate broad impacts. UC Davis Health said it sent an email to all clinical employees “asking them to use supplies wisely, until we know if there are impacts, ensuring we have what we need for our patients.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A massive fire broke out in Tracy that destroyed a 1 million-square-foot medical supply distribution center, sent large plumes of thick, toxic smoke into the air, and littered neighborhoods with debris.
Firefighters continue to battle the fire at Medline Industries in the 5700 block of Promontory Parkway.
Officials said Saturday it could still take a few more days to extinguish, as crews targeted the seat of the fire on the east end of the building. Large smoke plumes have dissipated, and fire crews have been downgraded from a high of 120 personnel to 20.
(See an 8 a.m. update on Saturday from the South San Joaquin Fire Authority’s chief in the video below.)
The fire broke out in an area with other warehouses like FedEx and Amazon. The majority of businesses have remained in operation. On Saturday, Medline’s structural engineers were at the site and discussions were underway about removing employee cars and a long-term plan for the hazardous site.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
South San Joaquin County Fire Authority Chief Randall Bradley said the fire was believed to have started on the roof of the building. Crews responded around 1 p.m. Thursday and found “heavy fire” coming from the roof.
Bradley said sprinklers were not operating and there was no water pressure for fire hydrants at the facility. He added that the failure of the private water system “significantly impacted” crews battling the fire.
The sprinkler system was last tested in January. With the sprinklers not working, the large warehouse was “fully consumed” within 40 minutes.
The South San Joaquin Fire Authority said Medline hired a third-party contractor to do the sprinkler inspection in January.
KCRA 3 asked the fire authority and Medline who that third party was. Neither has provided an answer.
The fire authority said testing of the sprinkler systems is required at least once a year, along with major sprinkler tests every five years.
Videos from the fire
Many KCRA 3 viewers shared videos of the massive fire at the medical supply warehouse.
One of the videos obtained by KCRA 3 was recorded by someone inside the warehouse when the fire started showing flames at the top of a storage rack and sparks falling to the ground.
The person who shared the video did not want to be identified, but said they heard the fire alarm go off and did not see sprinklers activate.
Another anonymous viewer shared the video below near the fire:
Neighborhoods littered with debris
The fire scattered debris across neighborhoods and sparked spot fires across the city.
Pieces of debris were also found in parks, trails and roadways.
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Resident Kim DeFrancis told KCRA 3’s Anahita Jafary that the debris was “soft, light, crispy.”
Homeowners in the Tracy Hills neighborhood reported finding black, foam-like material covering yards, sidewalks and landscaping.
“It was pretty bad. It was covered from the street up to here,” resident Gilbert Coronado told KCRA 3’s Denzen Cortez.
The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services urged people to not touch, move or collect debris. Officials said the debris could contain hazardous materials, unstable containers or residue from burned chemicals.
Officials are also creating a reporting system with which residents can identify locations where debris has been found.
Air quality concerns
San Joaquin County Public Health Services warned residents of potential health risks from the fire.
Officials said respiratory irritants, toxic gases, carcinogens and “at least one neurotoxin” are present in the smoke and could impact communities nearby.
The San Joaquin Valley Air District issued a separate warning saying the particulate matter and other pollutants can trigger asthma attacks, aggravate chronic bronchitis and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Residents impacted by smoke were told to keep windows and doors closed, use air filtration systems and keep pets indoors.
The South San Joaquin County Fire Authority chief said air quality was being monitored at three smoke locations Saturday.
Michael Kleeman, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, explained the potential dangers of the smoke.
“When it burns, it isn’t just producing the same type of particle in the atmosphere; it’s producing things that contain traces of metal and the byproducts of burning plastics and the byproducts of other things that are potentially toxic,” Kleeman said.
What is Medline?
Medline was founded in 1966 by Jim and Jon Mills, and the company says it’s the largest provider of medical-surgical products, according to its website.
The company recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. It is a distributor of about 335,000 healthcare products, including approximately 190,000 under the Medline brand and about 70,000 of those self-manufactured, according to the company.
The company has 70 global distribution centers and 30 global manufacturing facilities. Medline operates other distribution centers in San Joaquin County in Manteca and Lathrop. The company also has facilities in Southern California.
The company distributes medical supplies to major hospitals and health systems in Northern California, including Sutter Health, Kaweah Health, Enloe Health, Stanford Medicine, Carson Tahoe Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Medline provided an update on its response to the fire to KCRA 3 on Saturday.
Medical products previously distributed through the Tracy facility have already been reassigned and most of the order lines have been rerouted to other Medline centers in the region, the company said. The company also said regional staffing and transportation have been boosted since the fire.
Brian Bagley, a deputy fire chief with the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority, said the fire could have national repercussions, though Medline said its supply chain is “designed with resiliency.”
Sutter Health told KCRA 3 it did not anticipate broad impacts.
UC Davis Health said it sent an email to all clinical employees “asking them to use supplies wisely, until we know if there are impacts, ensuring we have what we need for our patients.”
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel