TRACY, Calif. — Firefighters responding to a blaze that destroyed a massive medical equipment warehouse in Northern California and sent embers flying for miles 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 equipment such as latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments and other medical supplies.

Thick black smoke billowed Friday from the site, as firefighters continued to put out hotspots.

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. The blaze broke out around 1 p.m. Thursday. Crews found the building’s sprinkler system wasn’t working and hydrants on the property lacked water pressure, Tracy Deputy Fire Chief Brian Bagley said. A fire official found little or no water was flowing through either system, he said.

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

“We did a defensive approach at that point,” he said.

The facility had been evacuated, and no one was injured.

Embers from the blaze sparked two grassfires 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.

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

No homes were evacuated. Bagley recommended people near the fire stay indoors but said air quality tests had not raised any “grave concerns.”

The Colorado primary election is June 30.

The primary election will determine party nominees for the November election, and multiple seats with ties to Larimer County have contested races on the Democratic ballot or Republican ballot.

The Coloradoan has conducted candidate questionairres in the four contested races specific to voters in Larimer County.

Find links to our coverage below. This story will be updated as additional content is published.

Larimer County treasurer and public trustee

Two candidates are running for the Democratic Party nomination for Larimer County treasurer and public trustee: Conor Duffy, a finance professional and Poudre School District school board member, and Joann Ginal, a former state senator who represented Fort Collins in the Colorado legislature.

The winner of the primary will face Republican Steve Olson, a former Loveland City Council member.

More: Here’s how to track your Colorado primary ballot

Colorado House District 51

Two candidates are running for the Republican Party nomination to represent House District 51 in Loveland: Amy Parks, a communications professional who temporarily served as district representative in 2022, and Nancy Rumfelt, a financial professional and Thompson School District board member.

The winner of the primary will face Jacki Marsh, a Democrat and the former Loveland mayor.

Use this tool to find out if you live in House District 51.

U.S. House Congressional District 2

Two candidates are running for the Republican Party nomination to represent the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives: Christina Blunt (Ducommun), a business owner and single mom, and Kelley Anne Dennison, a massage therapist.

The winner of the primary will face Rep. Joe Neguse, the Democrat who currently represents the district.

See what congressional district you live in by searching your address using this tool.

U.S.  House Congressional District 4

Two candidates are running for the Democratic Party nomination to represent the 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives: Eileen Laubacher, a Navy veteran and National Security Council official, and Jenna Preston, a clinical psychologist. Preston is running as a write-in candidate, which means anyone who wants to vote for her will have to write her name in on the blank space provided on the ballot.

The winner of the primary will face Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Republican who has represented the district since early 2025. Prior to that, Boebert was the 3rd Congressional District representative.

See what congressional district you live in by searching your address using this tool.

What about other races on 2026 Colorado primary ballots?

Every other non-statewide race on the Democratic and Republican ballots is uncontested in the primary.

Who can return ballots in the 2026 Colorado primary election?

Remember that anyone who is registered as a Republican or Democrat can return only their party’s ballot.

Unaffiliated voters may choose which of those ballots to return, but only one can be returned. If both are returned, neither will be counted.

Two other parties are holding primary elections, with the Libertarian ballot including just candidates for secretary of state and the Unity ballot including just candidates for governor. Those ballots can only be returned by party members.

Voters registered for a party without a primary will not receive a ballot.

Other Colorado primary election content to check out

When is the Colorado primary election?

The primary election is June 30, 2026. Bookmark this story so you can find our latest content as you get ready to turn in your ballot.

As El Nino officially takes hold in the Pacific, the National Weather Service Thursday warned there’s a likely chance it could rank “among the largest El Nino events in the historical record going back to 1950.”

El Nino cycles, characterized by above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and weak tradewinds, can cause changes in global weather patterns. In Hawaii, the cycle has been linked to more hurricane activity in the Central Pacific Basin in the summer and drought in the winter, which can lead to wildfire threats.

According to the latest update, published Thursday by NWS’s Climate Prediction Center, El Nino conditions developed over the last month with ocean surface temperatures ranging between .7 and 2.1 degrees Celsius, or 1.26 to 3.78 degrees Fahrenheit, above normal. Wind anomalies were also present in the central equatorial Pacific, which further fueled the cycle’s development.

A “very strong” El Nino — what some climatologists have dubbed a “super El Nino” — has a 63% chance of occurring between November and January, right at the end of Hawaii’s hurricane season. Hurricane season started June 1 and lasts through November.

Latest forecasts estimate for this season that there’s a 70% chance the Central Pacific Basin will see five to 13 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.

National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Wroe said the El Nino cycle could mean the region sees a number of cyclones “on the higher range of that spectrum” with possibly more storms at the end of the season when the cycle is expected to be the strongest. He added that exact forecasts and conditions are still uncertain.

“We tend to have more tropical cyclone activity in El Nino years,” he said. “Very strong events bring those odds even higher.”

He reiterated that stronger El Nino cycles do not necessarily mean the weather events, like hurricanes, will be stronger, but rather that they are more likely to occur.

The latest El Nino forecast shows the majority of Hawaii’s hurricane season will likely be defined by moderate to strong El Nino conditions, with very strong conditions becoming more likely beginning in September.

Very strong El Nino seasons occur when sea surface temperatures rise above 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Between now and August, El Nino conditions have a 32% chance of being weak and 58% of being moderate. That changes swiftly in the three month span from July through September, with a weak El Nino at 11%, moderate at 46%, strong at 36%, and very strong at 6%.

The odds shift from September through November, with the likelihood of a very strong El Nino jumping to 48%, and moderate decreases to 36%. Then, in the three month periods preceding both December and January, the likelihood for a very strong El Nino increase to 62% and 63% respectively.

Wroe said Hawaii residents can expect a slightly wetter summer — though it will still be fairly dry.

During winter, the island’s usual wet season, a strong El Nino could cause drought conditions and possibly bring wildfire risk, especially during the following summer.

He added that the high probability of very strong El Nino conditions is unique.

“Right now there’s a 63% chance that it could be a very strong El Nino,” he said. “A 63% chance of forecasting something — that doesn’t happen very often. That’s a very high probability.”