Category Archives: Department Store

Department Store, Retail

Tucson, AZ – Fire at Big Lots store kept in check by sprinkler system

February 23, 2015 viking210

The Tucson Fire Department credits a store’s sprinkler system with keeping a fire in check until crews arrived to put it out. The department says firefighters responding to a water flow alarm at a BigLots store on South Harrison Road early Thursday morning found smoke coming from the rear of the building.

Firefighters found heavy smoke inside the store and a fire in the rear of the building, which was full of merchandise. Cause of the fire is under investigation and there’s no estimate on cost of fire damage.

Department Store, Retail

Glen Burnie, MD – Fire at Toys ‘R’ Us impeded by sprinkler system

January 16, 2015 viking210

Anne Arundel fire investigators are searching for two people in connection with an arson at a Glen Burnie Toys R Us on Thursday morning.

When firefighters responded to the store at 6711 Ritchie Highway shortly before noon, they found heavy smoke coming from the roof. After entering the building and encountering heavy smoke and high heat, firefighters requested a second alarm.

The fire originated on a merchandise rack. The store’s sprinkler system impeded the spread of the blaze until firefighters were able to extinguish it.

All occupants safely exited the building and no one was injured.

Department Store, Retail

Sprinkler system limits spread of fire at drug store (Bellingham, WA)

November 14, 2014 viking210

A fire burned 24 feet of display shelving in the Sehome Village Rite Aid on 36th Street, and damages could exceed $200,000, firefighters said.

The fire started shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, and the store’s alarm system notified firefighters while its sprinkler system limited the fire from spreading, according to the fire department. Firefighters located and quickly extinguished the flames burning against an interior wall. Nobody was found inside the store.

Department Store, Retail

Sprinkler system controls suitcase fire at Dillard’s department store (Tucson, AZ)

August 15, 2014 viking210

Tucson Fire was dispatched to the Dillard’s at Park Place Mall where Firefighters discovered two suitcases on a shelf in the luggage department that were charred, but there were no active flames. Once crews determined the fire was out, efforts were immediately made to shut-off the sprinkler system which had activited. The fire began on a shelf where suitcases were displayed, where the suitcases were firmly pressed up against a fluorescent light bulb.

Department Store, Retail

Fire sprinkler system helps to save discount department store (Great Falls, MT)

August 6, 2014 viking210

A discount department store had a small fire occur on Monday night, and after being alerted by a passerby, fire officials responded to the incident. They entered the building to find smoke, but no flames, thanks to the structure’s fire sprinkler system. A mechanical malfunction is being blamed for the incident, but investigators are still unsure if it was electrical or not.

Great Falls Fire Marshal Dirk Johnson said regarding the incident, “We had two sprinkler heads go off that pretty much put the fire out and saved a lot of damage to Kmart, so sprinklers save lives.”

There were no injuries reported.

Department Store, Retail

Sprinklers limit damage at department store fire (Rochester, MN)

April 21, 2014 viking210

Shoppers in a department store were safely evacuated Saturday morning when dense smoke came in from the west side of the building. The fire’s source was discovered in the area of the trash compactor and dumpster, and the building’s fire sprinkler controlled the fire until fire crews arrived. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Department Store, Retail

Retail store fire squelched by sprinkler system (Charlottesville, VA)

March 25, 2014 viking210

Fire crews were called to the scene of a retail store after a clothing rack caught fire on Sunday evening. The fire sprinklers in the store eliminated the blaze prior to the firefighters’ arrival. There were no injuries, and the fire’s cause remains under investigation.

Department Store, Retail

Department store fire contained by sprinkler system (Bakersfield, CA)

March 6, 2014 viking210

A department store had a fire break out in an office early Wednesday morning, and the Bakersfield Fire Department responded to the incident. The fire was contained by the building’s fire sprinkler system when crews arrived, and no one was hurt in the incident. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical.

Department Store, Retail

Fire sprinklers minimize damage at Ace Hardware (Piedmont, CA)

January 9, 2014 viking210

When a fire began in the storage room of an Ace Hardware just after four in the morning on Sunday, January 6, the fire sprinkler system in that back room activated, minimizing the potential damage from the fire. Investigator’s believe the fire began due to an electrical malfunction, and no one was injured in the incident. The store reopened on Monday, January 7.

Department Store, Retail

Sprinkler system aids firefighters in furniture store fire (Fresno, CA)

November 19, 2013 viking210

A late night fire at a furniture store was extinguished by the store’s sprinkler system and local firefighters on Sunday. The store, which is located in a strip mall, neighbors a Petco pet store, but the fire was contained to the furniture store. No one was injured in the fire.

** Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by reporter Amanda Venegas and ABC30, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system**

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers