Fire at Massive Medical Warehouse in California Pumps Toxic Smoke Into the Air 

A medical warehouse in Tracy, California, was burning out of control on Thursday, filling the air with black smoke contaminated by medical supplies and building materials.

The 1 million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) warehouse was part of a Medline Industries distribution center campus and played a key role in distributing supplies such as latex gloves, masks, and surgical instruments during the covid-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reports. An unknown cause ignited the facility just before 1 p.m. on Thursday, and it quickly became engulfed in flames, with photos and videos showing an enormous plume of smoke rising into the air.

Reports indicate that the facility has been destroyed, and the Tracy Police Department told Gizmodo that the fire was still active as of 9 a.m. ET on Friday. Gizmodo reached out to the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. The Tracy Police Department could not provide an update on the fire’s containment or the air quality hazard to nearby communities, but local health officials have issued an air alert and health caution statement.

BREAKING: The entire Med Line warehouse in Tracy is on fire with embers spreading smaller fires in the grass and trees throughout the area near houses. Multiple big rigs and employees’ cars in the parking lot are also on fire.