DLA San Joaquin firefighters assist local crews in five-alarm blaze under mutual aid

TRACY, Calif. — Firefighters from Defense Logistics Agency Installation Management San Joaquin joined local crews June 11 to battle a five-alarm blaze at a Medline Industries warehouse on Tracy’s west side, a fire so large that smoke was visible from neighboring counties and drew national television coverage.

The DLA unit, based on the city’s eastern edge, was called under a mutual aid agreement to assist at the 1 million-square-foot medical supply distribution center about six miles away. The scale of the incident prompted the request, according to DLA officials.

“We were actually on a hazmat call on the installation when we were diverted to the fire,” explained Bryce Pierce, firefighter, DLA Installation Management at San Joaquin. “As soon as we pulled off the installation, we saw that huge column of smoke.”

A four-person team—Pierce, Justin Mello, Gavin Hinz and Mark Haynes—responded in Ladder 262 and spent roughly 20 hours flowing water onto the structure. Initial efforts to draw from nearby private yard hydrants were stymied by inadequate pressure, prompting the crew to lay lines to a municipal source and pump more than 600,000 gallons as flames consumed the facility and threatened a neighboring building.

“Every firefighter’s best day is someone else’s worst day,” added Hinz, noting the tragic loss of not just the building, but also of the estimated $50 million in medical supplies and other assets.

“In a situation like that, you really have to lean on your training and look to your crew,” said Pierce. “I’ve been a firefighter for 13 years, and that was by far the most intense fire I have seen. It was a once-in-a-career fire.”

Authorities said the multi-agency response contained and extinguished the fire without any loss of life and with no major injuries reported. Pierce said the incident also reinforced skills honed through constant drills and cross-agency coordination.

“Our training involved building construction,” explained Pierce. “So, to be able to see the building collapse, to watch as the structure failed, it really helps you see how you might handle that situation on the installation if it ever occurs.”

The Medline site sits within an industrial park with other major distribution centers nearby, a setting that heightened concerns about potential spread. DLA leaders underscored how mutual aid in California’s Central Valley bolsters readiness across jurisdictions and ensures help goes both ways.

“If we ever get something on the installation that we’re not equipped to handle, we’ll receive reciprocal aid from them,” explained Herman. “We’ll need them for anything more than a single-room or contents fire. And that’s why it’s so important to maintain the communication systems, ensuring we’re able to share radio frequencies with our county and local partners without restrictions. The systems in place don’t mean anything if they’re not maintained.”

“With this mutual aid agreement, we provide our assistance whenever we’re needed, but it’s not a one-sided partnership,” explained Herman. “We don’t need their assistance very often, but if it comes down to it, we’d need their help more than they’d need ours.”