Excavation crews called to Medline warehouse to help access remnants of massive fire
Massive fire engulfs Medline warehouse in Tracy
Flames tore through a one million square foot warehouse and neighboring facility in Tracy on Thursday afternoon, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Tracy Medline fire has been almost entirely put out but with some parts of the warehouse facility still smoldering, responders, in coordination with Medline representatives, have begun taking steps to fully extinguish the flames.
An excavation company has been called to the site of the fire to remove portions of the exterior wall of the Medline facility. Doing so will provide firefighters with better access to the facility, to address remaining hotspots and smoldering areas of the building.
Road closures remain in effect, and there is no public access to the facility as of Sunday afternoon.
Residents are encouraged to continue monitoring local air quality through county agencies.
Ongoing situation
The backstory:
The fire erupted Thursday afternoon at a Medline warehouse in the 5700 block of Promontory Parkway. Medline is a major distributor of medical supplies.
Officials said it took only 30 to 40 minutes for the flames to fully engulf the building. The warehouse reportedly contained flammable materials but a spokesperson for the Tracy Police Department could not elaborate on what those materials were.
The 1-million square-foot building was evacuated, along with several nearby facilities, including a FedEx building that was also later engulfed in flames.
That fire was brought under control through an aggressive attack that spared the FedEx warehouse.
South San Joaquin County Fire Chief Randall Bradley said the fire originated from the roof of the Medline facility, which had collapsed. The building has been declared a total loss.
Bradley noted that the sprinkler system was not operating at the time of the fire, though the exact cause is unknown.
Records show the sprinkler system was last tested in January.