Category Archives: Grocery Store / Super Center

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Lake Charles, LA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire set by former grocery store employee

A Moss Bluff man was arrested on Friday for setting a fire inside of a grocery store where he used to work.

Spencer Wallace, 19, was booked into the Calcasieu Parish Jail and is facing one count of aggravated arson, public affairs director for the State Fire Marshal’s Office Ashley Rodrigue said.

Calcasieu Fire District responded to a fire at the Market Basket grocery store on the 300 block of Sam Houston Jones Parkway in Moss Bluff.

After assessing the scene and analyzing store surveillance video, which shows Wallace standing near the manager’s booth and setting a fire in a trash can, SFM investigators determined the fire was intentionally set.

In the video, Wallace was seen walking away after setting the fire that spread to the booth before the store’s sprinkler system extinguished it.

Wallace admitted to setting the fire in an interview with investigators and was placed under arrest.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system controlled fire at grocery story; No injuries reported

An electrical fire on Friday temporarily closed the Safeway grocery store at 2800 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd., filling the store with smoke.

The store reopened Saturday, with the smell of smoke still lingering.

A Safeway spokeswoman said the electrical fire started on top of one of the grocery aisles Friday morning, which in turn set off the store’s sprinkler system.

The sprinklers did their job and contained the fire, spokeswoman Jill McGinnis said. No customers or employees were injured.

McGinnis said local store directors worked to clean up the store and get it reopened quickly.

“We’re just really thankful that nobody got hurt,” McGinnis said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Geneva, NY – Fire sprinklers help extinguish fire inside Walmart

A fire broke out at the service center of a Walmart supercenter in Geneva Wednesday afternoon.

Employees were evacuated and traffic was redirected at the intersection of Routes 5 and 20 and Berry Fields Road by Geneva Fire Department.

White Springs Fire Association responded, with assistance from Geneva Fire, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Services along with Finger Lakes Ambulance.

Walmart employees were not permitted to comment and referred press inquiries to the company’s public relations hotline.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The White Springs Fire Chief says a call came in at around 12:30 p.m., and some employees reported flames up to the ceiling in certain sections of the store.

A second alarm was called after firefighters arrived on the scene.

Firefighters say the sprinkler system activated, and extinguished a majority of the fire.

There was heavy smoke and fire damage to the building.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Kingston, NC – Fire sprinklers control two pallets of firewood set on fire outside Food Lion; No injuries reported

An individual seen in a Food Lion parking lot Friday morning is in custody after the grocery store’s outside firewood was set on fire.

The Kinston Fire Department received the call at 5:40 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, that two pallets of firewood were burning at the Food Lion, located at 2410 N. Herritage St., just outside the left entrance.

KFD Chief Damien Locklear said the store’s sprinkler system activated on the outside and firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. He said no firefighters were injured and the store was not open at the time.

“There was an individual in the parking area,” Locklear said. “The person is (in custody) with the KPD and we cannot release a name or age.”

The Kinston Police Department said a juvenile male is in custody in regards to the arson case, but the KPD was unable to release the juvenile’s motive for setting the pallets of wood on fire due to a joint investigation between the police and the fire department.

The Free Press was unable to reach Food Lion’s corporate office for comments.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Harrisburg, IL – Sprinkler system contains overnight fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

 The Walmart in Harrisburg, Illinois is closed after an overnight fire.

Captain Rick Mallady with the Harrisburg Fire Department says they were called around 11:30 p.m. on report of a fire inside the Walmart.

When they got there, they found the building full of smoke.

A fire was inside the store, but the sprinkler system had contained it.

Firefighters did have to put out the remaining fire.

The fire was near the rear of the store near car seats.

Everyone had been evacuated from the store and no one was injured.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

We reached out to Walmart who had this to say.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Bismarck, ND – Damage limited to superstore after fire sprinklers help contain fire in garden center; No injuries reported

A fire caused the evacuation and temporary closure of a Walmart store in north Bismarck on Friday and city officials say early signs indicate the fire may have been set intentionally.

Authorities say the fire was reported around 8 AM. Crews extinguished the fire in the garden center, which sustained fire and smoke damage, but damage was limited because of the building’s sprinkler system.

A Walmart employee said the store should re-open on Saturday.

Eighteen firefighters were on the scene. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Regina, SK, Canada – Boy sets fire to paper towel aisle at superstore, fire sprinklers keep fire at bay; No injuries reported

A 12-year-old boy is scheduled to appear in court Thursday in connection with a fire that started in the paper towel aisle of the Rochdale Walmart in Regina’s north end.

The boy has been charged with arson, the Regina Police Service said.

Police and fire trucks rushed to the store around 8:30 p.m. CST on Tuesday, after smoke was reported in the building. Staff and shoppers were evacuated from the building.

“The building was filled with a really thick, bad-smelling smoke,” said Jordan Blodgett, who was at a Tim Hortons near the store and saw the fire response.

Taylor Deis was at Walmart at the time and confirmed the fire was coming from the paper towel aisle. She captured a quick video before staff and customers had to leave.

Fellow shopper Michelle Morrow never saw the source of the fire, nor did she hear a fire alarm.

Her only indication that something was wrong, aside from the smoke, was a man speaking unclearly over the intercom telling people to “get out.”

Morrow said she wasn’t impressed by the evacuation methods.

Blodgett took video of the scene outdoors, showing a smokey haze floating from the Walmart entrance and red fire truck lights flashing.

Regina police say firefighters put out the fire and cleared the building. Fire Marshal Randy Ryba said investigators were on scene until about 1 a.m. assessing the situation. 

He confirmed the fire was started in the paper towel section of the store. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire at bay until fire crews arrived on the scene, he said.

“I’m not sure if it was a lighter or match, but that’s all it took,” Ryba said. “It did cause a great deal of smoke and water damage throughout the store.”

Ryba said Walmart is assessing the damage and said it would be “a great deal of time” before the store can reopen.

When contacted by CBC News, Walmart said once the necessary clean-up and repair work is completed, the store will reopen. In the meantime, staff at the Rochdale location will be working in nearby stores.

Police say no one was injured.

Police said the investigation was assisted by management and security staff at the store, who made surveillance video available.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Granby, CO – Fire at local market did not spread thanks to sprinkler system

City Market in Granby closed early Saturday evening due to a small fire.

No one was harmed when a maintenance closet at the store caught fire, according to Lt. Dan Mayer, spokesman for the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. However, there was a moderate amount of smoke throughout the store.

There were several customers inside City Market when the fire broke out, and they were all evacuated, Mayer said.

The fire didn’t spread thanks to the combination of the sprinkler system, employees and the fire department. According to Mayer, the fire was confined to the maintenance closet and did not cause significant damage to the store.

City Market closed early Saturday after the fire. The store plans to reopen Sunday, but customers should call ahead to check. Because the sprinkler system was activated, the company must reset the system before customers can enter the store.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

East Lyme, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire contained to seafood department at grocery store; No injuries reported

Responders quickly knocked down an early morning fire Saturday at Tri Town Market in Flanders, saving tens of thousands of dollars in potential damage to the grocery store.

Acting East Lyme Fire Marshal Raymond Hart said the store would be closed the rest of the day as the damage is evaluated, repairs are made and cleanup is completed. He said his office and Ledge Light Health District will evaluate the building to determine when it is safe to reopen.

According to Hart, dispatchers received a call reporting the fire around 6:11 a.m. Flanders Fire Department responded to the fire, which was upgraded to a second-alarm fire, along with mutual aid from Waterford, Old Saybrook and Poquonnock Bridge.

He said the fire originated in one of the deli cases in the seafood department; he said it appears the compressor in the unit overheated, igniting the insulation and creating flames eight to 10 feet tall. The sprinkler units kept the fire contained to the area, and firefighters got it knocked down by 6:19 a.m.

There were no injuries or structural damage to the building, though some of the suspended ceiling and electrical work will need to be replaced. Due to the smoke and water damage, much of the merchandise had to be disposed.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Flagstaff, AZ – Potential arson fire at Walmart contained by fire sprinkler activation

Flagstaff police evacuated a Walmart on East Huntington Drive at about 3 a.m. Saturday after receiving reports of a fire inside the store, according to Sgt. Charles Hernandez II, a spokesman for the police department. 

Police who responded saw heavy smoke inside the store, and noted that the store’s fire suppression sprinkler system had been activated. All Walmart staff were evacuated.

The store sustained severe fire and water damage and will be closed until further notice, Flagstaff police said.

Store employees told police they had seen a man who was about 5 feet, 7 inches tall leaving sections of the store where a fire had been started. The man was wearing a black hat, grey jacket, orange shirt and green camouflage pants, police said.

Flagstaff police are investigating the incident as an arson.

Anyone with information that may help identify the suspect can contact the Flagstaff Police Department at 928-774-1414 or make an anonymous call to Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.

Anyone with information that leads to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.