Officials say sprinklers at California medical equipment warehouse didn't work during blaze

Firefighters responding to a blaze that destroyed a massive medical equipment warehouse in Northern California that was still burning a day later were hindered by sprinklers and hydrants that weren't working, authorities said Friday.

The 1 million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) warehouse in Tracy, a city about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) east of San Francisco, supplied medical equipment to area hospitals. It's owned by Medline, a major medical-surgical products provider of medical equipment such as latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments.

Smoke billowed Friday from the blaze that sent embers flying for miles, as firefighters continued to put out hot spots and city crews cleaned debris from nearby streets.

Authorities said they don’t yet know why the water system failed during the blaze but it appeared to be a problem with the facility’s system, not city supply.

Local fire codes generally require large warehouses to have hydrants and sprinklers and ensure both are functioning, said Brian O'Connor, a licensed fire protection engineer with the National Fire Protection Association.

“If you have a large facility, it can be difficult for firefighters to stretch a hose from the closest public hydrant to the building,” he said.

Crews responding to the blaze that broke out around 1 p.m. Thursday encountered flames on the roof and noticed no water coming out of the building's sprinklers, Tracy Deputy Fire Chief Brian Bagley said. A fire official found a pump was pushing little to no water through both the sprinklers and on-site hydrants, he said.

Firefighters were forced to try to connect to city hydrants instead. The building was engulfed by fire within 40 minutes, Bagley said.

"It’s very, very challenging,” Bagley told reporters. “You can imagine it's a skyscraper laying on its side.”

He said firefighters have gained ground on the blaze they are battling in windy and low humidity conditions with temperatures that reached 95 degrees Friday.

“The density and the volume of smoke has changed drastically from this morning. The smoke is a lot lighter and not quite traveling as far,” he said, adding that the wind was helping the smoke move away from residential areas.

The facility was evacuated, and no one was injured. The massive warehouse was one of more than 50 distribution centers across the country for Medline, which according to its online catalog sells bandages, wheelchairs, catheters, hospital beds and many other medical supplies.

It is not clear what exactly was stored at the Tracy warehouse but the company said in a statement that it was mainly serving Northern California hospitals and that following the fire, it activated a contingency plan.

“Product distribution previously supported by the Tracy facility has been reassigned and it is in the process of being deployed to other facilities within our regional network to help maintain service and support customer needs,” Medline said.

Bagley said crews on Friday were trying to give drivers access to the property to remove trailers loaded with medical equipment that were not affected by the fire.

Mary Massey, who is in charge of the hospital preparedness program at the California Hospital Association, said it was too early to know the impact on medical supplies for regional hospitals but that most medical service providers have cooperation agreements to get urgent supplies if needed.

“We write plans for these kinds of things and we work together, not just hospitals, but also clinics, long-term care, dialysis, public health, ambulances. We all work together,” she said.

Embers from the blaze sparked two grass fires, and set pallets and multiple big rig trailers at a nearby FedEx facility ablaze. Firefighters were able to knock those fires down.

Crews overnight had to contend with new fires in trailers that were loaded with supplies.

Bagley said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would help investigate the cause of the blaze, but authorities would probably not be able to get into the warehouse for at least a couple of more days. The sprinkler system had been tested in January by an outside company and no issues were found, Bagley said.

Fire officials were still working on Friday to gather additional information about inspections of the warehouse's water systems, said Nicole Boswell, a spokesperson for the fire department. She said local fire officials also conduct annual inspections of businesses, including their water systems, but she did not know what the fire department found during their recent inspection of the warehouse.

The warehouse is in a massive industrial park that also houses fulfillment and distribution centers for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.

Bagley recommended people near the fire stay indoors but said air quality tests had not raised any “grave concerns.”

Smoke is seen from the massive fire at the Medline medical supply warehouse a million-foot facility, in Tracy, Calif., Friday, June 12, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Livermore Mayor John Marchand takes a photo of smoke from a medical supply warehouse fire in Tracy, Calif., as seen from Livermore on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Smoke is seen from the massive fire at the Medline medical supply warehouse in Tracy, Calif., Friday, June 12, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Smoke from a medical supply warehouse fire in Tracy, Calif., is seen from Livermore on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

This image from aerial video shows black smoke pouring into the sky from a fire at a medical equipment warehouse in Tracy, Calif., Thursday, June 11, 2026. (KGO via AP)

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa put down Wales 43-0 and was three for three in Nations Championship rugby on Saturday.

The Springboks struggled to reflect their utter domination on the scoreboard and ought to have doubled their seven actual tries by seven different scorers.

A team of 10 changes with four debutants following the 42-28 win over Scotland looked slick at times but was frequently undone by knock-ons, forced and unforced.

But even ragged with a slippery ball, the Springboks still blanked Wales in successive matches for the first time since the first two matches in this rivalry, in 1906 and 1912.

Wales was stronger than the all-local team that was thrashed 73-0 by South Africa in Cardiff last November, and still outclassed. Wales hasn't scored a point against South Africa in more than 2 1/2 hours.

Only South Africa and New Zealand are unbeaten after the southern hemisphere leg of the new Nations Championship. The tournament moves to a conclusion in Europe in November.

Wales was overpowered by Argentina last weekend in San Juan and was determined to front up against the most physical team in world rugby. But it was quickly apparent Wales couldn't.

No. 8 Jasper Wiese blew through Jac Morgan and Rhys Carre to score the opening try in the fifth minute. The Bok scrum, with new cap Carlu Sadie at tighthead, monstered Wales back over its own tryline to gain the put-in. From that scrum, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach crossed too easily.

New flyhalf Vusi Moyo and wing Jaco Williams were handed test debuts on their Kings Park home ground. The 20-year-old Moyo also made his Sharks debut this season and played for the Junior Springboks. His kickpass to Williams set up a try after the halftime hooter for Jesse Kriel and a 19-0 lead that flattered Wales.

Williams scored 44 seconds into the new half after superb work by Reinach and Wiese, then Williams returned passes with Herschel Jantjies to give the replacement scrumhalf his first test try in five years in his first test since 2023.

While Wales prop Ben Warren was in the sin-bin for an upright tackle, Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed for his 25th try in 32 tests and South Africa finished the night with a try from a lineout maul by flanker Paul de Villiers, the man of the match in his third cap.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit runs with the ball during the Nations Championship Test rugby match between South Africa and Wales, in Durban, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Cobus Reinach scores a try during the Nations Championship Test rugby match between South Africa and Wales, in Durban, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Jesse Kriel, center, celebrates after scoring a try during the Nations Championship Test rugby match between South Africa and Wales, in Durban, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)