Category Archives: Retail

Auto Dealership, Retail

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fourth floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

Seattle Fire Department (SFD) officials responded to an apartment building fire that occurred on Capitol Hill Tuesday evening.

SFD first posted on X about the fire at around 5:13 p.m., writing that they were responding to a fire in the 600 block of Howell St.

Shortly after, they posted an update, noting the fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“I heard a loud explosion noise, and for a second, I was like, ‘Is that coming from the TV?’ And then I heard a draft, then my door rattled for about four seconds,” said James Maciel, who lives on the fourth floor of the building. “So right then, I knew something wasn’t right. I opened my door, and there was an engulfed, full fire by the elevator shaft.”

SFD also confirmed that no injuries were reported.

Maciel continued to say the fire began on the fourth floor while also noting that he believed the fire was intentionally set.

“This wasn’t a toaster oven fire or a heater blanket,” Maciel continued. “I knew that this was some kind of bomb or explosion. I knew it was set intentionally within two seconds of seeing it.”

KOMO News contacted the SFD for further details regarding the fire but was told that the matter is currently under investigation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Forsyth, MO – Sprinkler system activated for fire outside grocery store

A straw bale fire damaged a grocery store in Forsyth. The Country Mart store temporarily closed.

Firefighters responded to the grocery store on Tuesday at 3:15 a.m. Investigators say the fire started in the straw bales outside the store. The fire spread into the store. The sprinkler system knocked down the fire. An employee inside the store called 911. Forsyth Fire Chief Nathan Bower says whether it’s your home or your store, you need to be careful about how you’re storing hay and straw.

“Watch where you put them things close to outlets, candles, extension cords,” said Bower. “And obviously bulk items like this they shoot really shouldn’t be stored next to whether it’s a store or whether your house, they should be stored away from it, because if they do accidentally catch on fire, at least they’re burning outside of that versus next to a structure.”

Frequent shoppers like Jovita Dublin worry they must travel farther for groceries.

“When we noticed that there had been a fire here, I couldn’t believe it,” said Dublin. “It’s hard. Like for us, you know, like my husband, he’s got problems, and he can’t drive that far. “

It took 22 firefighters from three departments to work the four-and-a-half-hour fire. The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.

Store management is working with the health department to reopen the store. The drive-thru pharmacy remains open.

Department Store, Retail

Buena Park, CA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Target; No injuries reported

Buena Park police have arrested a woman for allegedly setting a fire at a Target store as cover for her attempt to steal baby formula.

The fire on Sept. 5 led to the evacuation of the Orange County store as flames quickly reached to the ceiling and spread through the children’s clothing section.

A store employee with a fire extinguisher and the building’s sprinkler system were able to put out the blaze.

No injuries were reported but merchandise and the store itself were damaged by flames, smoke and water.

The damage is estimated at $1 million in retail goods and $500,000 to the interior of the building itself.

Buena Park police say they “determined the fire was intentionally set during an attempt to steal baby formula.”

They identified and arrested a suspect, Cynthia Torres, 40. Her city of residence was not disclosed in the police statement.

Other - Retail, Retail

Rock Springs, WY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at auto repair shop

The Rock Springs Fire Department (RSFD) was dispatched to a report of a structure fire at The Tire Den, located at 202 Industrial Drive, at 12:59 a.m. on August 30.

RSFD responded with three apparatus and nine personnel. The first-arriving unit from the RSFD was on scene within one minute of being dispatched. Upon arrival, Command was established and a 360-degree size-up conducted. Crews noted heavy smoke and flames coming from the C/D (North-East) area of the building in the compressor room.

The attack team knocked the fire down and the fire was declared controlled at 1:17 a.m. Fire crews remained on scene to conduct salvage and overhaul operations to protect the property from further damage and ensure that the fire was completely extinguished. The local fire suppression system, with the deployment of a single sprinkler head, limited fire extension into adjacent areas of the facility, which prevented what would otherwise have been a significant conflagration involving multiple structures.

A callback was initiated to backfill reserve fire apparatus to handle any additional calls for service that might come in during the fire. Five personnel responded to address those needs and begin preparing replacement fire hose to rehab the trucks used at the scene. The equipment and hose used during the suppression operations was cleaned and the truck was placed back in service by 5 a.m.

The Patrol Officers with the Rock Springs Police Department noted heavy smoke at the building during routine patrol and helped fire crews gain access to the property.

The fire is under investigation and the cause has not yet been determined.

Department Store, Retail

West Des Moines, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at Kohl’s Department Store; No injuries reported

Two teens have been charged in connection to a fire at the Kohl’s Department Store over the weekend.

At around 2:04 p.m. Saturday firefighters with the West Des Moines Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at the Kohl’s in the 6500 block of Mills Civic Parkway. When firefighters arrived on scene they found a merchandise rack had caught fire, but was extinguished by the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

A joint investigation between the fire department and the West Des Moines Police Department was launched after the cause of the fire was deemed suspicious. As a result of the investigation, two 15-year-old boys have been charged with first degree arson.

The fire department said the store sustained smoke and water damage.

Department Store, Retail

Johnstown, CO – Sprinkler system activated for fire in cardboard compactor at department store; No injuries reported

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority put out a fire in a cardboard compactor at Scheels in Johnstown Tuesday.

No one was hurt, but the fire resulted in evacuation of the store, which was closed for the rest of the evening.

At 4:48 p.m. Tuesday, LFRA was dispatched to a fire sprinkler water flow alarm at Scheels and, when crews arrived two minutes later, they saw smoke showing from the loading dock area, according to a post on the LFRA Facebook page.

The incident was upgraded to a commercial fire and additional LFRA units were called along with Berthoud Fire Protection, Front Range Fire Rescue, Thompson Valley EMS, Poudre Fire Authority and Johnstown Police Department crews.

Crews from Engine 50, which work out of Station 10 in Johnstown nearby, found a working fire in the cardboard compactor with a fire sprinkler in the compactor loading room “holding the fire from extending into the interior of the structure,” according to the post.

Once the fire was under control, crews used a wildland fire engine to pull the compactor away from the building

Crews also used electric ventilation fans to clear the smoke from the interior of the store, though the majority of the smoke was contained to the interior areas near the loading dock, the post said. Scheels staff assisted the incident commander with technical knowledge of the building’s ventilation system to help with this process.

The post added the store closed for the rest of the evening.

Battalion Chief Kevin Hessler said no injuries were reported in the incident. He added that the cause of the fire is unknown.

He also added that the Scheels team did a great job getting evacuating everyone once the fire alarm sounded.

Other - Retail, Retail

Bayonne, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at discount store

Bayonne firefighters only needed 20 minutes to extinguish a blaze at a discount store in the area of Broadway and 22nd Street on Monday.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Bill Bartos, firefighters responded to Deals & Discounts just after 9:50 a.m. Upon their arrival they found heavy smoke coming from the front of the store.

Handlines were used in conjunction with the building’s sprinkler system to bring the fire under control by 10:10 a.m.

Other - Retail, Retail

Oregon City, OR – Sprinkler system controls early morning arson fire at store

Bales of hay at a Wilco Store in Oregon City were set on fire early Thursday morning. Clackamas Fire District says a fire alarm brought crews to the store on Molalla Avenue. The sprinkler system helped control the fire, and firefighters put it out before it caused any more damage. Surveillance video shows a suspect wearing a baseball cap, mask, a T-shirt, and short pants lighting the fire. Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to contact Oregon City Police.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Buford, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at mall; No injuries reported

Firefighters are investigating an incident that sparked at the Mall of Georgia Tuesday morning.

Crews were called to Buford Drive in Buford at 5:38 a.m. A bystander called 911 and reported a fire at the Mall of Georgia food court, authorities said.

When firefighters arrived, they found the fire developing in a first-floor storage room behind of the restaurants in the mall food court, investigators said.

The fire triggered the sprinkler system. Despite the low visibility, crews were able to use its hose to extinguish the flames. Mall workers and security were evacuated during the fire.

The building’s ventilation system was used to remove residual smoke from the and fire units brought in fans to ventilate parts of the building.

The storage room sustained heavy fire damage; there were no injuries.

Crews have determined the fire started from an electrical issue with a light fixture.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Pulaski, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at food center

Emergency teams responded to a fire Monday morning at Super Ron’s Food Center in Pulaski. Police were notified first and upon arrival, officers learned that the fire was contained to the front office and was extinguished due to efforts by the owner. Police say the fire caused the sprinkler system to activate.

Police evacuated the building due to heavy smoke. Pulaski Tri-County Fire Department firefighters were able to turn off the water flow and checked for additional hot spots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but police say it is not suspicious in nature.

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