A fire at a medical equipment warehouse in Northern California sent thick black smoke pouring into the sky Thursday and prompted evacuations of other nearby facilities as authorities fought to get the blaze under control.
The fire ignited at a distribution center for Medline, a major medical-surgical products provider, in Tracy, a city about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) east of San Francisco. Officials worked to evacuate a large portion of the area as the wind heightened the risk of spreading embers, said Sgt. Michael Richards, from the city's police department. The warehouse is in a massive industrial park that also houses fulfillment and distribution centers for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.
