Category Archives: Shopping Mall

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system keeps overnight fire from spreading at shopping plaza

Firefighters were called to a blaze last Thursday night at plaza in East Hamilton.  Officials say a fire broke out in a garbage bin behind a strip mall at 640 Queenston Rd. The fire spread into the Mark’s clothing store, triggering the sprinkler system.  Hamilton Fire spokesperson Claudio Mostacci says smoke and water damage is estimated at roughly $100,000.  No injuries were reported.  The fire is being considered suspicious and the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.

Palm Springs, CA – Hallway fire at outdoor shopping plaza limited by automatic sprinkler system

Palm Springs firefighters put out an early Sunday morning blaze in downtown Palm Springs. Crews got the call of the fire at around 6 a.m. and found smoke in a building at the Mercado Plaza on Palm Canyon Drive. Firefighters say the blaze was contained in a exterior hallway by the sprinkler system. This blaze comes after a dumpster fire in the same area about a month ago.  An owner of Maracas Cantina says it’s frustrating this has happened more than once. “You don’t want to have these things coming up and as a business owner, it’s really disruptive,” Todd Flood, an owner of Maracas Cantina, said. “We’re going to open a couple hours late today and we miss some business.”  The fire did not cause any restaurants to close, just delays for some businesses opening, according to Flood. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Rehoboth Beach, MA – Fire at outlet mall caused by malfunctioning fluorescent light controlled by sprinkler system

A fire March 22 in the Ralph Lauren Polo outlet caused $5,000 in damage, officials say. Firefighters from Rehoboth Beach, Indian River and Lewes responded to the Midway Outlets at 4:19 a.m. for an automatic fire alarm and found a smoke-filled store, said Harry Miller, chief deputy state fire marshal. A sprinkler system was activated and kept flames under control, Miller said. No one was injured.  Miller said the fire was caused by a malfunction in a fluorescent light fixture which ignited combustible material nearby. He said damage was $5,000.

Lone Tree, CO – Storage room fire at shopping mall extinguished by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system extinguished a small fire inside Park Meadows Mall on Thursday afternoon, South Metro Fire Rescue said.  The fire was contained to a storage room in a back hall, officials said.  The food court was closed and evacuated while crews made sure everything was safe. The rest of the mall remained open.  Firefighters were leaving the scene a little after 3 p.m. The food court was likely to reopen soon after that.

San Jose, CA – Sprinkler system activates to limit spread of fire at retail strip mall

Firefighters knocked down a two-alarm fire this morning at a strip mall in San Jose, according to a San Jose Fire Department spokesman. At 3:18 a.m., fire crews responded to the blaze at a strip mall at 2455 Alvin Ave. At the scene firefighters found smoke coming from the roof, according to fire Capt. Brad Cloutier. At 3:31 a.m., the blaze was upgraded to two-alarms. Firefighters continued their attack on the fire, which was quickly knocked down. Coutier said no one was in the building when the fire broke out and there were no injuries to firefighters. The fire caused some damage to the building’s attic and the sprinkler system that was activated by the blaze, Cloutier said. Cloutier said that some businesses in the mall will probably have to be closed today due to the damage, and fire officials are working this morning to contact business owners. Crews will remain on the scene this morning to ensure hot spots are out, and traffic in the area might be affected, Cloutier said.

Odessa, TX – Sprinkler system activates in fire at retail store in shopping mall

Odessa Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the At Home located at Music City Mall on Sunday night, which is now under investigation as possible arson. An auto sprinkler alarm notified OFR of the fire, which they responded to around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Music City Mall, 4101 E. 42nd St, Odessa Spokeswoman Andrea Goodson said. Goodson said there is little detail available on the fire due to it being under investigation, but Goodson said it was contained fairly quickly and there were no injuries reported. An At Home employee said the store is currently open, but about half of the store is closed off due to the damage.

Casper, WY – Single sprinkler contains shopping mall restaurant fire until firefighters arrive

At approximately 12:00 AM Sunday morning, February 4th, Casper Fire-EMS responded to a fire alarm at the 600 block of Southeast Wyoming Boulevard, the Eastridge Mall. Firefighters say that they arrived and found a fire in a storage closet area of a restaurant in the building. The fire was accessed and extinguished a short time after arrival. There were no occupants of the building at the time of the fire.

No injuries were reported as a result. A cause is yet to be determined and remains under investigation. Prior to arrival of firefighters, a single head in the fire sprinkler system in the building activated. The action of the system controlled the fire until firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze. Officials say in a written statement to media, that the fire was contained to the storage area and damage was minimal. A value of damage to the building and contents has not been determined. 5 units of Casper Fire-EMS initially responded. They were assisted by Casper Police and the Wyoming Medical Center.

Casper Fire-EMS says that the fire illustrates the value of fire sprinkler systems. “The presence of the system in this case limited spread of the fire to other areas of the structure. What could have been a well-developed and growing fire was controlled in the area of origin until arrival of firefighters,” officials say in the written statement. “These systems represent an important life safety and property protection component of modern structures.

Woodstock, GA – Afternoon fire at video game store put out by sprinkler system

A video game store suffered interior damage following a fire reported late Friday morning in Woodstock. Firefighters with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and Woodstock Fire & Rescue were dispatched to Max Video Games at 6424 Bells Ferry Road around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 12.  Firefighters arrived at the shopping mall located across from Walmart to find “light smoke coming out of the back” of the video store’s building, Cherokee County Fire said in a press release.

Those firefighters ventured inside the building to find the sprinkler system had been activated, which put out the fire, the agency added. Cherokee fire investigator Shane Daniel said the building suffered interior damage due to fire, smoke and water. There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Max Video Games is the company that bought out Play N Trade and relocated its operations from 2290 Towne Lake Parkway to the shopping center at the corner of Bells Ferry Road and Eagle Drive, according to a September 2014 post on its Facebook page.

As Patch readers recall, Play N Trade suffered a serious blow in September 2013 when a fire set during an armed robbery gutted a good portion of that business while it was housed at 2290 Eagle Drive. Play N Trade’s owner, Troy Brazelton, suffered second- and third-degree burns on his extremities due to the fire. Police offered a reward and interviewed witnesses related to that incident, but have not made an arrest in the case.  Return to Patch for updates.

 

St. Catharines, ON, Canada – Fire in loading dock area of retail store contained by sprinkler system

A partial evacuation of the Pen Centre was initiated late Thursday afternoon after a small fire started at the Dollarama store.  St. Catharines Fire and Emergency Services Platoon Chief Rob Denhollander said the fire that broke out in the loading area was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.  Firefighters were dispatched about 5:25 p.m.  “Fire damage is minimal, but smoke and water damage is to be assessed,” he said on scene.

He said it will be up to an insurance adjuster to determine what store items can be salvaged.  The store is located opposite Winners, separated from the main part of the mall above an escalator.  Many shoppers and moviegoers had to leave the mall, Denhollander said.  “I’m sure there’s quite a few people who missed an ending (to a film),” he said, noting alarm bells were ringing.  No injuries were reported, he added, while also noting stores remained open.

Jessup, MD – Shopping center blaze snuffed out by sprinkler system

A building fire broke out in Jessup on Sunday, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.  Firefighters responded to the shopping center where MOM’s Organic Market and Ollie’s are located; the blaze occurred in a commercial space in the 7300 block of Assateague Drive before 6 p.m., officials said.  A sprinkler system put out the fire, which consequently did not spread, according to authorities.