The South San Joaquin County Fire Authority has ended incident command for the Medline Industries warehouse fire in Tracy, shifting responsibility for the burned site back to Medline and its environmental response partner, Clean Harbors, as cleanup and recovery move forward.
The transfer took effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the fire authority. Medline said in a Wednesday update that local officials had indicated the situation was “nearing full containment.”
“Medline continues to work closely with fire department and local authorities regarding the fire at our distribution facility in Tracy,” the company said in a press release.
The fire authority said the end of incident command does not mean the investigation is over. Medline will continue providing “full access” to fire investigators and other agencies with jurisdiction as they work to determine the cause of the fire, officials said.
The agency said it will also stay involved during recovery and keep a designated liaison to coordinate with Medline as needed. Fire crews remain available to respond if emergency conditions develop, including rekindles, smoke, fire activity or other hazards requiring fire department intervention.
“This coordinated approach between the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority, Medline, Clean Harbors, and all of our partner agencies is intended to ensure the continued safety of our community while recovery and remediation efforts move forward,” the fire authority said.
Community members can contact Clean Harbors at (209) 751-1888 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, according to Medline. The company also said it donated gloves and N95 masks to Fire Station 95 in Tracy for distribution to residents.
Medline said it is towing employee vehicles to a safe location near the facility’s outer perimeter and assessing damage. Before the vehicles are returned, Medline and its partner Servpro are “professionally cleaning the vehicles and validating safety and functionality,” the company said.
The update marks a shift from active fire command to site recovery after the blaze destroyed Medline’s warehouse in the 5700 block of Promontory Parkway.
San Joaquin County health officials previously issued cleanup guidance after the Promontory/Medline Fire created a debris field covering about six square miles. Officials said ash from burned structures may contain chemicals, metals and fine particulate matter that can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs.
Residents and workers in affected areas are urged to wear protective equipment during cleanup, including an N95 respirator or higher, goggles, gloves, long sleeves and long pants. County officials also said children, pets, older adults and people with respiratory or heart conditions should be kept away from ash and debris.
Residents should lightly mist ash with water before cleanup and should not sweep dry ash, use leaf blowers or vacuum ash unless using a HEPA-filtered vacuum, county officials said.
Medline also said it plans to provide daily updates to health care customers affected by the fire as the company works to maintain medical supply deliveries.
Fire officials have previously said investigators are examining what caused the fire, as well as why water was not reaching parts of the building’s fire suppression system.
The fire remains under investigation.