Category Archives: Retail

Retail, Shopping Mall

Hackensack, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at mall

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A mall in Bergen County has reopened after suffering a fire on Saturday morning, firefighters said.

The Hackensack Fire Department received a report of a fire alarm and smoke at the Riverside Square Mall around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, they said.

The first firefighters on the scene, along with mall security, found a fire in the rear of the Free People clothing store, said the Department in a statement.

The First Platoon searched the area, extinguished hotspots, and brought the blaze under control, the department said.

Adjacent stores had water and smoke damage, the Fire Department said.

Officials and building management were able to restore the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler system so the mall, located on Hackensack Avenue, could reopen later on Saturday.

The fire is under investigation, but does not appear to be suspicious, officials said.

Apartment Building, Other - Retail, Residential, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated at two separate fires; No injuries reported

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to two separate calls in one week where an automatic fire sprinkler system controlled the fires, preventing further damage and injuries.

The first call happened Saturday, October 4 at around 2:20 p.m. at a business in the area of S. Florence Lane, near E. 33rd Place, according to YFD.

Upon arrival, YFD says crews saw smoke and “initiated a fire attack,” where firefighter entered the building and found a linen bin actively burning, but said a sprinkler system suppressed the fire, which extended to an additional bin.

YFD says crews contained the fire and no injuries were reported.

The second call happened early Tuesday morning, at around 4:00 a.m., at an apartment complex located in the area of W. 22nd Place and 35th Avenue.

Upon arrival, YFD says crews found a “single sprinkler head wetting down charred debris on a rear patio,” and says there wasn’t an fire nor damage inside the apartment.

In addition, no injuries were reported.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Altoona, IA – Sprinkler system activated for arson related fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

Fire officials are investigating a fire at the Altoona Walmart store on Thursday night as suspicious, and court records show an arrest has been made in the case.

The Altoona Fire Department said it was dispatched to the Walmart at 3501 8th Street SW on a commercial fire around 9:08 p.m. When they arrived at the store, crews saw dense smoke and fire near the interior rear of the store, and the sprinkler system was on.

Firefighters were able to put out the fire quickly and make sure shoppers and staff at the store were evacuated. The AFD said the fire was contained to a localized area in the store, thanks to the sprinkler system.

Online court documents show Jack Cedeno, 41, has been charged with first-degree arson in the case. He was booked into the Polk County Jail at 12:06 a.m. Friday.

The criminal complaint states Cedeno started several fires inside the Walmart and witnesses saw him in the area of the fires. Cedeno allegedly told officers that “voices told him to start a fire in the bathroom.”

No injuries were reported from the incident.

Fire crews from Ankeny, Bondurant, Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, and Urbandale assisted the Altoona Fire Department.

Department Store, Retail

Albuquerque, NM – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at department store; No injuries reported

Albuquerque Fire Rescue investigators are working with Albuquerque Police and Burlington loss prevention staff to identify a person of interest who may have set a fire at the department store located in Cottonwood Commons in northwest Albuquerque on Wednesday night.

AFR said firefighters found a small fire involving clothes and cleaning supplies inside a janitor’s closet in the back of the store around 8:35 p.m. An automatic sprinkler in the janitor’s closet went off, and firefighters extinguished the remaining fire with water cans.

Store employees and customers were evacuated, and no injuries were reported. AFR said damage was contained to the janitor’s closet, and a minor amount of smoke spread throughout the store.

AFR said there were reports that the fire was set intentionally, and the cause has not been determined at this time.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Nitro, WV – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Chevy dealership; No injuries reported

Cleanup was underway at Walker Chevrolet on Wednesday following Tuesday night’s fire that destroyed several cars and caused damage to the outside of the building.

The large fire caught the attention of many drivers passing by on Interstate 64 like Russell Heater.

“It looked huge,” Heater said. “That’s why I came by, because I assumed it actually did more than what it did. Because from what I saw coming down the interstate I’m like, ‘Oh wow.'”

Walker Chevrolet took to its social media, posting no one was in the building at the time and no one was injured. The dealership also said none of their customers cars were damaged and its service and body shop would be open under normal conditions.

Heater said he was amazed no more damage was done after seeing the roaring flames.

“I know there was a lot of commotion and a lot of lights like all the way down the main drag,” Heater said. “And then this morning I saw it on Facebook. It came up and I actually just drove by to see what all it did, because I assumed it did more than that actually.

“It was amazing that they got it put out before it did any more than that.”

City of Nitro spokesperson Joe Stevens said multiple crews responded to the scene, including units from as far away as Lincoln County. Stevens said much of the damage was contained to the outside of the building thanks to the sprinkler system.

“What the first arriving units found were a number of vehicles on fire in front and side of the dealership, and that’s where all the damage is right now,” Stevens said. “It’s exterior.”

The inside of the building has minimal water and smoke damage. There is still no indication as to what caused the fire and it is now being investigated by the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal.

“It’s going to take a while to figure out exactly what happened, how it happened, where it started,” Stevens said. “That will all be done in an investigation.”

Department Store, Retail

Spokane Valley, WA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at JCPenney store

A teenager suspected of starting a fire at the JCPenney store at the Spokane Valley Mall last month was arrested.

According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, a 13-year-old was identified as the suspect who started the fire.

The sheriff’s office said the teen was booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center Wednesday morning for first-degree arson.

According to the sheriff’s office, the fire resulted in an estimated loss of over $50,000 in merchandise and fire-related damage.

The sheriff’s office said detectives believe that two other minors were with the suspect at the time of the fires. The sheriff’s office said the suspect used a torch-type lighter to burn holes in boxes that had merchandise in them before walking away.

The box caught on fire and lit other boxes on fire, which triggered the fire suppression system and sprinklers.

In May, the Spokane Valley Fire Department said firefighters responded to a single-head sprinkler activation at the Spokane Valley Mall inside the JCPenney store at around 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17.

The fire department said the sprinklers did their job and stopped the forward progress of the fire.

JCPenney General Manager Aaron Klennert said damage to the merchandise was limited, and the majority of the damage was structural due to excessive water from the sprinklers.

Klennert said the fire happened on the top floor of the store in the home section, just minutes before closing time. Staff said it took a while to turn off the sprinklers, causing about three inches of water to spread across the floor and seep down into the ceiling of the first floor.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Rockville, MD – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire at car dealership; No injuries reported

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded on Wednesday around 8:15 a.m. to a vehicle fire at DARCARS on 755 Rockville Pike in Rockville.

According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire broke out in the maintenance bay area but was quickly contained by the building’s sprinkler system. Multiple units responded, and no injuries were reported.

We will provide an update if additional verified information becomes available.

Other - Retail, Retail

Woodinville, WA – Sprinkler system contains explosion fire at hardware store; No injuries reported

Crews are investigating an explosion that happened in Woodinville on Monday afternoon.

What we know:

Eastside Fire and Rescue (EFR) announced the incident on social media at 2:42 p.m. Officials said the explosion happened at a hardware store near the corner of 130th Ave NE and Little Bear Creek Parkway.

Firefighters from Bothell, Shoreline and Kirkland fire departments assisted at the scene.

The fire was mostly contained by the facility’s sprinkler system, but emergency crews responded to ensure full control and safety. No injuries were reported.

What we don’t know:

A fire investigator has been requested to the scene.

Other - Retail, Retail

West Mifflin, PA – Sprinkler system activated for car fire in loading dock at Home Depot; No injuries reported

Pleasant Hills volunteer firefighters quickly knocked down a fire in the rear of the Home Depot in West Mifflin Sunday night.

Crews were called to the store around 11:30 p.m. and discovered a fire in the loading dock area, which was being kept in check by the sprinkler system. Firefighters extinguished the fire and assisted in closing off the sprinklers once it was out.

Firefighters said all employees were able to exit the building and no one was injured.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Minneapolis, MN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at vegan butcher shop; No injuries reported

The Herbivorous Butcher is temporarily closed after a Tuesday night fire wrought damage on the building that houses Minneapolis’ vegan “meat” shop.

“We are heartbroken,” the proprietors wrote on social media Wednesday.

The shop is now closed, and sales on delivery platforms have been halted “until we can assess the damage and begin to rebuild,” they wrote.

Founded in 2014 by siblings Aubry Walch and Kale Walch, the Herbivorous Butcher began as a Minneapolis Farmers Market experiment and in 2016 turned into a hit brick-and-mortar store in northeast Minneapolis that ships nationwide. At the heart of their operation are housemade proteins that stand in for animal products, such as vegan Korean BBQ ribs, chorizo sausage and Brie cheese.

According to a release from the Minneapolis Fire Department, fire crews were dispatched to 507 1st Av. NE. at approximately 9:10 p.m and forced entry to find smoke on the first floor and a fire above the kitchen area, between the first and second floors. The sprinkler system extinguished most of the fire, but the crew had to cut a hole between the floors to put out remaining embers. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

“The fire department had to flood the space, and everything is now a mess,” the Herbivorous Butcher team wrote. “We’re still taking it all in — and figuring out what comes next.”

The Walches have set up a GoFundMe to help with cleanup, repair and restoring operations.

Fortunately, the equipment for making vegan cheese and for steaming and smoking the vegan meats seem to have survived unscathed, said Kale Walch, who was feeling “optimistic” the day after the fire.

“A small business is an interesting series of bumps along a rustic back road, and it’s just another change to the equation,” he said. “We survived a pandemic. We’ve done worse, and we’ll do it again. We can handle it.”

The duo also own J. Selby’s vegan restaurant in St. Paul. They’ll move some food production to that location, at 169 N. Victoria St.

“I’m gonna try to do as much as I can out of there,” Kale Walch said. “I’ll probably be doing even more.”