Massive fire burns at wood pallet warehouse near Tracy; 19 homes evacuated

Written by Cecillo Padilla

TRACY, Calif. (KPIX-TV)- A massive fire erupted at a pallet warehouse near Tracy early Thursday morning, prompting the evacuation of more than a dozen homes nearby.

The scene is near Grant Line Road and G Street. It appears the fire started just before 2 a.m. 

According to the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority, the fire was well-involved by the time crews got to the scene -- prompting a third-alarm response. 

A total of 19 homes in the immediate area have been evacuated, firefighters say; Banta Elementary School nearby will also not be open on Thursday, as it's being used as a shelter for displaced residents. 

Water supply is an issue at the scene, firefighters say. Water tenders are being brought in from nearby agencies.

There are some power outages related to the fire in the immediate area that were affecting around 261 people at the height of the outage, according to the PG&E map. 

Union Pacific also said they have been requested to stop all trains through the area due to the incident. For the moment, Union Pacific says there has been no impact to rail operations. 

Due to the fire, Tracy police say Grant Line Road between the 11th Street roundabout and Chabot Court is closed. 

Banta Elementary School expects to be open again on Friday as long as they have power, the district noted.