Blaze at 1m-sq-ft California warehouse rages into third day: ‘We’re struggling’ | California
California firefighters continued to battle a blaze that engulfed a roughly 1 square meter warehouse on Saturday, prompting officials to warn residents of unhealthy air quality.
The fire is raging at medical supplier Medline Industries’ warehouse in Tracy, a city of more than 100,000 residents about 55 miles (90 kilometers) east of San Francisco. Authorities expect to fight the fire for several more days.
The cause and source of the fire are not yet known. Law enforcement is conducting an investigation, according to the South San Joaquin County Fire Marshal’s Office. No injuries were reported.
“We’re having a little bit of a hard time getting to the source of the fire,” Fire Chief Randall Bradley said at a news conference Saturday. “At some point, we hope to be able to secure the walls that haven’t collapsed yet and go in and move some of the debris so we can actually get water to the core of the fire.”
“We are making some progress, but it is slow,” he said.
Officials had previously stated that the fire extinguishing system was disrupted due to a sprinkler system that appeared to be broken and low water pressure in the taps. A Medline spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday about the warehouse’s water infrastructure.
About 5,000 gallons of water per minute were spent fighting the flames, Bradley said.
Heavy smoke is expected in the area for the next few days, but Bradley noted that the smoke has dissipated since the explosion on Thursday.
Officials advised residents, especially those exposed to poor air quality, to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed.
Authorities also warned residents to stay away from debris that could contain hazardous materials, according to NBC affiliate KCRA in Sacramento.
The warehouse is being prepared for demolition, Bradley said. A new facility is expected to be built on the site, as it is an important location for distribution, according to Bradley.
Medline also supplies gloves, surgical masks and medical clothing, among other products.
A Medline spokeswoman said Saturday that the “vast majority of order lines” were being diverted to other distribution centers.
“We have also increased regional staffing, regional inventory and transportation capacity through increased use of MedTrans trucks, third-party carriers and trucking operations to expedite product movement throughout the affected region,” the spokesperson said.
Fire officials are also coordinating with Medline staff to retrieve vehicles left behind by employees during the evacuation. A company spokesman said they were identifying job opportunities for affected employees “in the near term.”
