Tracy Medline warehouse fire sends large black smoke plume into sky

All personnel and staff at a medical warehouse in Tracy are safe as a fire continues to produce heavy black smoke in the area Thursday afternoon, officials said. 

Tracy Fire Chief Randall Bradley said crews responded to the Medline Industries warehouse along Promontory Parkway around 1 p.m. Crews found heavy fire coming from the roof of the 1-million-square-foot building.

The fire extended across the roof and into the facility quickly, and crews were not able to contain the fire before it spread to the entire building, Bradley said.

Bradley noted there were water supply issues and said it was unclear whether the sprinkler system inside the facility was operating properly.

"We had a good, aggressive interior fire attack, and the sprinklers were not operating, so we'll have to find out what happened to the water supply," he said.  

Bradley said the water supply issues also affected their fire attack as they were forced to work with a lack of pressure within the fire hydrants.

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

Water pressure throughout the city remains stable and is supporting firefighters, the city said.  

The fire spread to a large pile of pallets and containers outside the FedEx facility to the south. The building should be protected, but the firefight continues as of 4 p.m., Bradley said.

There have been multiple spot fires in the area of Schulte Road and Larch Road, and near the Tracy Municipal Airport. All three fires were contained and no homes were evacuated. 

Multiple explosions have been heard, with Bradley confirming they came from tires on trucks and products inside. 

Medline Industries confirmed that all employees and on-site personnel are accounted for. The company's website says it is the largest provider of medical-surgical products to all points of care.

Despite there being no immediate threat to the surrounding area, the Valley Air District and the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services both urged community members to remain indoors, to close windows and to bring pets inside.

"Sensitive individuals, including children, older adults, and those with heart or lung conditions, should take extra precautions," the Valley Air District said.

The Tracy Fire Department is receiving mutual aid from other agencies. It's unknown what started the fire and there have been no reports of injuries. 

Winds of about 10 to 15 mph will push the smoke south. Gusts in the area are ranging from 35 to 44 mph, according to CBS Sacramento's First Alert weather team. 

People are asked to avoid Promontory Parkway in the area of Hansen Road. 

Tracy Police Sgt. Michael Richards said he has experience responding to major fires in the past, including the 2018 Camp Fire as a mutual aid responder and other wildfires. Once he saw the black plume of smoke in the Tracy sky, he said he "knew this was very serious."

Richards noted he was grateful that there have been no reported injuries.

"It's going to take a little while, but as long as nobody's hurt, we can fix everything else," Richards said.

Tracy is about 30 miles southwest of Stockton in the northern San Joaquin Valley.  

The area where the fire is burning is home to several large distribution warehouses, including those from companies like Amazon and FedEx. It is about eight miles west of Tracy's city center.  

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.