TRACY, Calif. (AP) — In Northern California, authorities have advised residents who are sensitive to smoke to stay indoors as firefighters continue to combat a blaze at a large medical equipment warehouse for the third consecutive day.
In Tracy, a city with a population of 100,000, the fire at the Medline warehouse, which ignited on Thursday, has led to air quality levels deemed “unhealthy” according to nearby monitoring stations.
Fire Chief Randall Bradley of the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority noted in a statement that the region is expected to experience smoky conditions in the coming days as efforts to fully extinguish the blaze inside the facility continue.
An investigation by the local fire marshal is underway, with meetings involving company representatives, structural engineers, and other experts planned to evaluate the building’s condition, Bradley added.
Arrangements are being made to allow employees to retrieve their vehicles from the premises. In the meantime, firefighters have urged the public to steer clear of the area and refrain from handling or disturbing any debris from the fire.
Medline is a major provider of medical-surgical products such as latex gloves, masks and surgical instruments.
The blaze at the 1 million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) warehouse about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) east of San Francisco sent embers flying for miles.
Poorly functioning sprinklers and hydrants with little to no flow hindered firefighter efforts. The problem appeared to be with the facility’s fire-suppression system and not city water supplies, they said.
No issues were found when an outside company tested the sprinkler system in January, firefighters said.