Category Archives: Grocery Store / Super Center

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Rosemont, IL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Target

Charges have been filed in an arson at a Target store in northwest suburban Rosemont.

Flames broke out just before noon this past Thursday at the Target at 7000 Mannheim Rd. next to the Allstate Arena.

Store employees tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived, and multiple sprinkler heads started up.

The Rosemont Public Safety Department and several local fire departments responded to the scene, and found the fire near the diaper aisle. Everyone in the building left, and no one had to be hospitalized.

However, the store sustained major damage due to smoke, fire, and water used to put out the fire. Smoke damage extended beyond the area of the fire to include most of the store, police said.

Merchandise worth $1.5 million was lost, police said.

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 20 Arson investigators, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Rosemont police detectives launched an investigation right away. A suspect was quickly identified and tracked down in Elk Grove Village, police said.

Denny Ellis, 56, of Nevada, was charged on Saturday with aggravated arson. He made his first court appearance on Sunday, and was being held by the Cook County Sheriff’s office.

The Target remained closed as of Sunday due to damage inside and cleanup.

On Sept. 28, 2023, a fire was set inside the Target store at 1 S. State St. in the Loop. Sprinklers put out the fire at the downtown Target.

In that incident, Ronald Langley was charged with aggravated arson. According to court records, Langley was caught on video taking a can of WD-40 and lighting a blanket on fire on the second floor of the store.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

Police are investigating after a fire ignited Sunday afternoon inside the Salmon Arm Walmart.

The fire prompted the store’s evacuation around 4 p.m. on Aug. 4. Two employees outside the store said the blaze had allegedly been started by individuals who’d been using the changing rooms in the clothing area.

“The flames were shooting to the roof,” said one of the employees.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department and RCMP responded.

Salmon Arm RCMP spokesperson Const. Andrew Hodges confirmed police are investigating the suspected arson.

Salmon Arm Fire Chief Brad Shirley said the fire department received a report of a commercial structure fire just after 4 p.m. Firefighters from three fire halls were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon arrival, the fire involving hanging cloths had been mostly extinguished by staff and the sprinkler system,” said Shirley via email.

Shirley said damage from the fire was somewhat minor, though there was also smoke and water damage.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart near the Vancouver-Burnaby border is closed until further notice after a suspicious fire.

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.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Union, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at underground parking garage; No injuries reported

A Stop & Shop in Union is now closed after a fire in the underground parking garage on Sunday.
Authorities say a car fire caused heavy smoke at 1201 Stuyvesant Ave. and the building’s sprinkler system to go off. No one was injured.
Union Fire Department Chief Gregory Ricciardi said repairs need to be made to the sprinklers before the building is allowed to reopen.
There was no damage to the building and minor damage to an adjacent parked car, authorities said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Helena, AL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Publix grocery store; No injuries reported

A grocery store has some minor damage after a fire Monday afternoon.

According to the Helena Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the Publix on Highway 17 just after 12:45 p.m. Monday.

Fire officials confirmed smoke was coming from the restroom area of the store. They say the building’s fire sprinkler system helped put out the fire quickly. Damage was limited to the restroom area.

Store employees quickly evacuated the store, even before firefighters arrived. No one was hurt.

The cause of the fire has not been released.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at grocery store; No injuries reported

A fire inside the Foods Co grocery store on Shields Avenue caused customers and employees to scramble from the store Sunday morning.

The two-alarm fire began on the paper-products aisle shortly after 8 a.m. with flames nearly reaching the ceiling, said a store employee who asked not to be identified. A possible suspect was seen running from the area and out of the store through an emergency exit, the employee said.

The store quickly filled with smoke, while Fresno Fire Department crews arrived within minutes.

Battalion Chief Kirk Wanless said no one was injured and the fire was contained to one aisle with the help of a fire sprinkler inside the store. It took crews about 10 minutes to knock down the fire that started among the toilet paper and paper towel products.

Wanless said the department’s fire investigator was on scene Sunday morning.

The store employee said someone tried tried to light a fire inside the store several months ago but was unsuccessful.

Fire crews remained at the store for several hours, clearing smoke and checking to make sure no one was inside. It was unclear how the fire would affect the store’s hours.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Memphis, TN – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart

An intentional fire set inside a Memphis Walmart caused nearly $2 million in content loss, the Memphis Fire Department said.

On Sunday, the MFD responded to a fire at the Walmart on Austin Peay Highway at 3:11 p.m.

Qwanesha Ward of the MFD said that the fire was intentionally set on Aisle 18 near the electronics department and was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.

However, the fire still led to $1.8 million in content loss and $10,000 in building loss. The store has smoke and water damage.

MFD said that the store will likely be closed until the end of the week.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Canton, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at grocery store; No injuries reported

The Hy-Vee store in Canton remains closed after a fire in a storage area Sunday morning.

At 11:22 a.m. Sunday, the Canton Fire Department responded to Hy-Vee Grocery store at 825 N. Main St. in Canton, for report of a fire in the back of the store. Upon arrival, firefighters found an upstairs storage area on fire with smoke and flames showing.

Hy-Vee personnel had evacuated the building prior to fire Department arrival.

Water supply was established and a handline was used to apply water to the fire. The building’s sprinkler system had activated and was successful in limiting fire spread until fire department personnel were able to extinguish the fire.

The fire was contained to the original storage area. No injuries were reported as a result of this fire.

The fire was brought under control within 12 minutes of the first fire engines arriving on scene, with fire crews remaining on scene till 12:56 p.m. conducting overhaul and fire investigation.

The store has been released by the fire department back into Hy-Vee personnel custody. The store remains closed at this time. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Canton Fire Department’s investigation team.

The amount of damage to the building and contents is still being evaluated.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Newark, DE – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at shopping center; No injuries reported

Fire damaged a recently renovated grocery store in Newark, filling the building with smoke and activating the sprinkler system late Sunday.

The fire was reported at approximately 10:45 p.m. at the Acme in The Grove at Newark, formerly known as College Square Shopping Center.

Firefighters arrived to find debris on fire in one of the aisles. The sprinkler system contained the fire, which was extinguished by firefighters.

The store was open at the time of the fire, but no one was injured.

Deputy Chief A.J. Schall said there was damage to one aisle and likely smoke and water damage throughout the store.

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, though reports from scene indicated that two juveniles ignited paper towels and then ran out of the store.

The fire came just weeks after Acme completed substantial renovations to the store, including new refrigerator cases, new flooring and a new floral department.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart on Burbank Drive will be closed “indefinitely” after someone intentionally set a fire inside, the St. George Fire Department said Monday.

Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, the department was called to the store and found it had been evacuated. They were told the fire broke out in the middle of the building and “many sprinkler heads had been activated.”

Crews were able to find the fire and put it out within minutes, the department said. No one was injured.

The fire, smoke and sprinklers caused enough damage to close the store indefinitely, the department said.