Category Archives: Retail

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside grocery store; No injuries reported

Shoppers and staff were evacuated after a fire started inside the Foods Co. at First and Shields Ave.

Fresno Fire responded at about 8 a.m. Sunday.

Battalion Chief Kirk Wanless said the initial call for service was someone setting something on fire inside the store.

By the time firefighters arrived, smoke had filled much of the store and fire was found in an aisle.

The store’s sprinkler system activated as firefighters were about to go in.

Firefighters were able to search the entire store and get everyone out. No one was injured.

Officials say they suspect the fire was arson and are following up on all leads.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health was called to inspect the food damaged from the fire and smoke to see what, if anything, is salvageable.

A staff member at Foods Co. said they cannot comment on when the store will reopen.

Other - Retail, Retail

Yarmouth, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire at marketplace; No injuries reported

A fire at a Route 1 mall in Yarmouth on Monday night was contained before it could spread to a dozen or so adjoining businesses.

Yarmouth Fire Chief Mike Robitaille credited the sprinkler system at the Sherwin Williams paint store, 438 Route 1, for preventing a much larger fire that he said could have caused significant damage to other businesses at Yarmouth Marketplace.

Robitaille said the fire started just after 6 p.m. in a ceiling dormer above Sherwin Williams. It did not reach any of the paint products stored at the business, but the store sustained significant water damage.

“The fire was quickly contained, but in all honesty, it was the sprinkler system that did the job,” Robitaille said. “If the fire had spread, it could have been a significant dollar loss.”

Some of the adjoining addresses in the mall, which include Romeo’s Pizza, Enterprise Rent a Car, an AT&T store, P&P Screen Printing and Royal River Baptist Church, sustained smoke damage.

Mutual aid was provided by Cumberland, Freeport and Falmouth. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Omaha, NE – Sprinkler system activated for fire at strip mall; No injuries reported

The Omaha Fire Department is investigating a fire at a strip mall Sunday morning.

According to the Omaha Fire Department, at 8:44 a.m. Sunday, crews were called to a one-story strip mall at 10841 Q Street. Dispatch received multiple calls reporting a large amount of black smoke coming from the building.

When crews arrived they entered and reported poor visibility inside. They searched the structure and found a fire that was controlled by an automatic sprinkler system. The fire was extinguished quickly by firefighters.

The Omaha Fire Department says no injuries were reported by fire personnel at the time.

Damage was estimated at $15,000 to the structure and another $50,000 to its contents.

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Minneapolis, MN – Sprinkler system activated for overnight arson fire at Target

Minneapolis police say a burglary suspect confessed to starting a fire inside the Target Express on Lake Street after breaking in to the store early Tuesday morning. 

Police spokesman Officer Garrett Parten says squads were dispatched to the store at 1300 West Lake Street around 3:40 a.m. after reports of a business burglary. Responding officers noticed a damaged door, went into the Target and found a suspect inside. While that man was being booked he reportedly told police he had started a fire inside a garbage can. 

Parten says the fire activated a sprinkler inside the store. 

Fire crews arrived about 5 minutes later, laid down water lines and extinguished what little remained of the fire and subsequent hot spots. The building sprinklers were then shut down. 

At this point there are no reports on the extent of water damage caused by the incident. 

Other - Retail, Retail

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for trash compactor fire outside of retailer; No injuries reported

An employee at an east side retailer noticed smoke coming from a trash compactor chute Monday morning, approximately a half-hour after tossing a few bags of trash into the chute. Upon opening the door to the compactor, the employee discovered flames inside. He discharged multiple fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the fire, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

Firefighters received the 911 dispatch at 9:29 a.m. and responded to the 2452 East Springs Drive. All occupants safely evacuated the building prior to firefighters’ arrival.

Engine Co. 8 located a large compactor near the loading docks outside the building. A sprinkler inside the compactor chute had already activated, but there was still active fire inside the compactor container. Engine 8 connected to a hydrant, and Medic 8 brought an attack line to the compactor. Firefighters sprayed water into the compactor, and a tow truck was requested to help pull it away from the building. Once the compactor was pulled away, firefighters shut down the internal fire sprinklers system. Engine Co. 5 assisted with overhauling the contents inside the compactor and extinguishing any remaining fire. No injuries were reported.

The exact cause of the fire could not be determined. Investigators and store employees could not rule out the possibility that a lithium ion battery may have been discarded and placed inside the compactor.

Other - Retail, Retail

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at shopping center outlet; No injuries reported

Asheville Fire Department had several crews at Asheville Outlets on Wednesday night, Jan. 11, 2023.

About six fire engines could be seen in the shopping center parking lot, where an alarm could be heard and firefighters could be seen heading to the roof.

Asheville Fire Department said the fire happened in a storage room near Restoration Hardware just before 11 p.m.

Officials tell News 13 that the sprinkler system put out the fire and no other businesses were damaged other than possible smoke damage.

No one was injured in the fire.

Department Store, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at J.C. Penney store; No injuries reported

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) says a J.C. Penney store caught fire, damaging a storage room but was extinguished by its sprinkler system.

After 4 p.m. on September 1, an alarm went off at a J.C. Penny on Yuma Palms Parkway.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw the building being evacuated and smoke coming from a shoe department storage room.

The sprinkler system extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported, according to YFD.

Fire damage was contained within the storage room and water damage was seen in other parts of the building.

YFD says the store was closed but will reopen after clean-up and repairs are done.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Peachtree City, GA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

A 14-year-old girl in Georgia was charged with arson after being accused of setting a fire inside Walmart.

The Peachtree City Police Department believes the teen intentionally started a fire in the paper goods aisle of the store, WGCL reports.

According to police, officers executed a search warrant at the 14-year-old’s home, where they said she admitted to starting the fire.

Investigators said the girl stated no motive behind setting the fire. It was said to be her impulsive decision.

Authorities said the fire was set around 7:20 p.m. Aug. 24. It took firefighters throughout the night to get the fire under control. It was finally extinguished around 4 a.m. the following day.

Although the store’s sprinkler system functioned as designed, the store suffered extensive damage to the interior and the roof.

Three Peachtree City police officers who evacuated the store had to be treated for smoke inhalation, but no one was seriously injured.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Travis County, TX – Sprinkler system activated for recycling bin fire near target

Lake Travis Fire Rescue officials said a fire broke out Sunday morning near the front of a Target on Ranch Road 620 South.

Firefighters responded for a fire alarm activation and saw smoke near the structure. Officials said the fire was controlled with a fire sprinkler.

According to LTFR, the fire originated in a recycle bin near the front of the store.

LTFR said the fire remains under investigation.