Overview
- The fire began Thursday on the roof of Medline’s roughly 1 million‑square‑foot distribution center in Tracy and spread through the building in about 30 minutes, leaving the structure a total loss.
- Firefighters reported that the facility’s sprinkler systems did not operate and private hydrants had little to no pressure, forcing crews to stage a prolonged exterior attack and draw water from the city system.
- Thick black smoke from burning medical supplies, building materials and hundreds of lithium‑ion‑powered robots raised air‑quality alarms and prompted health officials to warn people with respiratory conditions to stay indoors.
- Medline confirmed all on‑site personnel were safe and has activated a command center and contingency distribution plans to reroute products to other regional facilities while managers assess inventory losses.
- Investigators and local officials will probe the cause of the roof fire and the failure of the warehouse’s fire‑suppression components, and firefighters expect to manage hotspots over several more days.