Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said an emergency call came in around 10 a.m. Saturday.
He said it’s too early to confirm the fire was arson, but it was “strange” that videos from customers’ phones showed it appeared to spark on a sofa in the store’s furniture department.
Hesse said the store was quickly evacuated and there are no reports anyone was injured.
Firefighters had trouble pinpointing the source of the blaze because of the thick black smoke emanating from the furniture department.
He said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to that section and that crews were able to fully douse it after about 45 minutes.
However, the store in the 3500-block of Grandview Highway has extensive smoke and water damage. Hesse said it’s likely a lot of the product in the store is compromised by the thick smoke that circulated during the fire.
Hesse said about 40 firefighters and nine fire trucks were called in to the second-alarm blaze.
Vancouver police are also investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.
“We urge anyone who witnessed anything unusual in the store around the time of the fire to contact investigators immediately,” said Const. Tania Visintin, in a news release on Sunday afternoon.
The company released a statement to media that said the fire was set deliberately.
“This appears to be a criminal act of arson that will unfortunately and unfairly impact our customers, associates and the local community who rely on the store,” Walmart said.
“Setting a fire in a public setting is shocking, dangerous, and shameful.”
The store will re-open as soon as the necessary clean-up and repairs are complete.
“We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act,” reads the statement.
Damages are estimated to be in the millions.
Though Walmart has over a dozen outlets around Metro Vancouver, the Grandview location is the only one in the city proper.
