Category Archives: Department Store

Department Store, Retail

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

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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.

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.

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.

Department Store, Retail

Napa, CA – Sprinkler system activated for clothing fire at Kohl’s; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called to the Kohl’s in downtown Napa after a fire briefly flared inside the store late Wednesday afternoon, according to Napa Fire.

At 4:38 p.m., the city fire department was notified of a fire that broke out in a rack of clothes inside the men’s section of the store at 1116 First St., according to Capt. Erik Mortimore. Napa Fire units began arriving at Kohl’s within two minutes, and about 30 customers, alerted by smoke alarms, evacuated the building along with employees, he said.

Firefighters entering the store found a light haze of smoke inside, and learned that two sprinkler heads had activated above the clothing rack, which was extinguished within 10 minutes, according to Mortimore. Although fire hose lines were pulled into the building, no outside water was used on the fire, he said.

Fire crews entered to shut off the sprinklers and prevent further flooding, and the last remaining crews left the scene at 7:26 p.m., according to Mortimore.

“We got off pretty easy given what it could have been,” he said Wednesday night.

No injuries were reported to customers, staff or firefighters.

Napa Police officers went to the scene along with Napa Fire units, said Mortimore. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday night.

Kohl’s was expected to remain closed Thursday as work continues to clear water out of the building, according to Mortimore.

Department Store, Retail

Wausau, WI – Fire at Fleet Farm contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one was injured Saturday morning after a fire broke out at Fleet Farm in Wausau and the store is expected to reopen later in the day. 

The Wausau Fire Department received a call around 5:45 a.m. Saturday about a fire in the store at 1811 Badger Ave., Battalion Chief Jeremy Kopp said. Employees at the store noticed the fire, called 911 and evacuated the store. 

The store’s sprinkler system put out most of the fire before the fire department arrived, but firefighters did have to extinguish fire in the walls of the store, Kopp said. The fire was contained to a section of the store. After that, the department remained at the store to help with cleanup. 

Kopp said without the sprinkler system at the store, the damage from the fire “could have been a lot worse.” 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Kopp said, but it does not appear to be suspicious. 

The store is expected to reopen sometime Saturday, according to a post on the Wausau Fleet Farm Facebook page. Customers should check the Facebook page throughout the day for updates. 

Department Store, Retail

Kingstree, SC – Department store sprinkler system kept fire in check; No injuries reported

A department store just north of Kingstree was damaged by fire Wednesday night but saved from destruction by its sprinkler system.

Williamsburg County firefighters were dispatched to the Roses Express at 7:55 p.m. and arrived to find heavy smoke and visible flames inside the retail area of the store, according to a release from the fire department.

The fire activated the store’s sprinkler system, which kept the fire in check until firefighters were able to extinguish it.

Firefighters needed approximately 15 minutes to control the blaze.

“There was no extension to the roof or to adjoining stores in the complex, but the store has extensive smoke and water damage to the contents,” according to the agency’s release.

Kingstree firefighters responded with mutual aid.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation by the fire department, Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office and SLED.

Department Store, Retail

Chicago, IL – Fire at Home Depot controlled by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a fire Thursday night at a Home Depot store in Chatham on the South Side.

The fire was reported shortly after 11 p.m. at the store, 200 W. 87th St., according to the Chicago Fire Department.

The fire, which damaged the store’s stock, was brought under control by sprinklers and was put out by 11:30 p.m., fire officials said.

Department Store, Retail

St. Charles, MO – Fire in Walmart put out by fire sprinklers, likely set by child; No injuries reported

A small fire set to a clothing rack at a Walmart in St. Charles on Saturday was likely started by a child, police said Sunday. 

The fire about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Walmart at 2897 Veterans Memorial Parkway created a lot of smoke but injured no one. 

When firefighters arrived, they found that the conflagration was confined to a rack of clothes in the men’s department, said Mike Grzyb, the St. Charles deputy fire chief. The flames were quickly extinguished by a combination of the sprinkler system and firefighters, he said. 

Surveillance footage from the inside of the store showed a child, a boy less than 10 years old, hiding inside the circular clothing rack shortly before it caught fire, St. Charles Police Lt. Tom Wilkison said Sunday. 

The child left the store with his mother shortly after the fire began, Wilkison said. Police had not yet identified or located the child, he said.

The investigation will be referred to St. Charles County juvenile services once complete, Wilkison said. 

The store sustained extensive smoke damage and moderate water damage from the sprinklers, Grzyb said. Firefighters removed skylights to help clear out the smoke.

Department Store, Retail

Fairfield, CA – Arson fire at JC Penney store controlled thanks to fire sprinkler system

A suspect was detained Monday night in connection with an arson fire that did an estimated $100,000 in damage at the J.C. Penney store at the Solano Town Center in Fairfield.

The Fairfield Fire Department responded shortly before midnight and found multiple fires inside the store.

Crews were able to quickly stem the fire with the help of the store’s automatic sprinkler system, officials said, but there was “major smoke, water and heat damage” to the inventory.

Firefighters determined that the cause was arson based on evidence in the store.

Fairfield police worked with store personnel and learned of a possible suspect. Rafael Munguia, 54, of Fairfield was arrested Tuesday and booked into Solano County Jail for arson.