Live updates: Crews remove Tracy Medline facility's walls to tackle interior hotspots, officials say

A man who works inside the Medline warehouse said it was clear how fast things were spreading.

"I thought they'd be able to contain it within that area and that the other departments would be able to go to work and stuff," Antonio Talavera said. "But it spread so fast. I would say within 30 minutes, half the building was covered already."

The Medline warehouse is a total loss.

First responders say one of their top priorities when they arrived on scene here was to make sure this massive fire didn't spread anywhere else.

Crews saved an adjacent FedEx facility that caught fire.

A massive fire at a Tracy warehouse complex was burning out of control Thursday afternoon and sending a huge plume of black smoke into the air.

All 120 employees safely evacuated a massive medical supply warehouse Thursday afternoon after a large fire erupted and cast dangerous embers across the community.

Tracy fire says no injuries were reported.

Fire officials say facility's inventory of cardboard and paper products fueled the flames, causing embers to spread up to 2.5 miles away.

The flying embers sparked three secondary fires:

More than 120 firefighters and 35 apparatus from multiple agencies, including the San Francisco Bay Area, responded to the blazes.

Investigators are looking into major safety equipment failures at the scene.

Arriving firefighters found that the first hydrants they connected to lacked water pressure, despite the system passing inspection in January.

Crews also reported that overhead sprinklers did not appear to be active when they arrived.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting local officials with the investigation.

Teams are currently reviewing facility video footage, checking inventory lists for hazardous materials, and monitoring local air quality.

Tracy fire officials said the blaze at the Medline facility is one of only three or four warehouse fires of its size in U.S. history.

Tracy's city manager declared a local state of emergency Thursday night to ensure all available resources and emergency response capabilities are available.

In addition, the San Joaquin Valley Air District issued an air alert due to smoke from the fire, which is billowing over parts of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

Winds in the area are expected to send smoke inland and southward along the western and central portions of the San Joaquin Valley Thursday evening and overnight, according to the air agency.

More information is available at Valley Air's website.

Jamie Holt, with the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District, spoke about how the smoke from the Medline facility fire in Tracy may impact the air quality.

Jamie Holt, with the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District, spoke with ABC7 Eyewitness about how the smoke from the Medline facility fire in Tracy may impact the air quality.

Holt said the air quality in the area still considered good but does recommend those considered "sensitive" and "at-risk" to take precautions as the evening hours approach, such as turning on air purifiers and/or HVAC units, closing windows and wearing an N95 mask if you can smell smoke.

She said the air district did not consider any of the supplies in the burning warehouse to be toxic to the air quality.

After the fire is put out, Holt said residents should see improved air quality. While smoke will dissipate, she did say it will start to travel south of Tracy due to the winds, and may hit some communities in that direction.

Watch the full interview in the player above.