Category Archives: Grocery Store / Super Center

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.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Huntsville, AL – Sprinkler system helps contain fire in craft department of Walmart

Shoppers were evacuated from the Walmart on Sparkman Drive after a fire started in the craft department on Thursday morning.

Huntsville Police asked for the public’s help to identify a man wanted for questioning in connection with the Walmart fire and for a second fire that happened at Michaels on Airport Road on Thursday. They said that thanks to a tip on their post, the man was identified.

Police say Robert Charles Makowski is charged with two counts of first-degree arson. Makowski is currently being held in the Madison County Jail and bond has not been set at this time.

Captain Frank McKenzie with Huntsville Fire & Rescue (HFR) said around 9:15 a.m. firefighters were called to the store on a report that a rooftop AC unit was on fire. When officials arrived, they learned the arts and crafts department caught fire and the sprinklers went off.

People were evacuated into the store parking lot and the store was closed when firefighters arrived.

Capt. McKenzie says that the area that burned was roughly eight feet in length, six feet deep, and ten feet tall. He says there is standing water in the building that covers approximately 12,000 square feet.

Walmart was closed on Thursday.

The Sparkman Drive Walmart told WHNT News 19 they re-opened at 8 a.m. Friday.

The fire department is still investigating the fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Owensboro, KY – Compressor fire at grocery store contained by fire sprinkler system

A Tuesday morning fire broke out at Price Less Foods on Scherm Road, which caused mostly heavy smoke and water damage.

The fire was reported at 3:19 a.m. by Owensboro police officers responding to a burglary alarm at the store, at 1731 Scherm Road. Steve Leonard, battalion chief for the Owensboro Fire Department, said the fire appears to have started in a compressor in one of the grocery store’s coolers.

The fire is believed to have smoldered for an hour or more before spreading to other coolers and activating four of the store’s sprinkler heads.

The sprinklers contained the fire to the area of the affected coolers. Leonard said falling ceiling tiles activated a motion alarm. When officers arrived, they found smoke and water coming out of the store and called for fire units, Leonard said.

Firefighters were at the store for about two and a half hours, Leonard said. The fire itself did minimal damage, but the building and contents sustained heavy smoke and some water damage, Leonard said.

“Had there not been sprinklers, it would have extended into the attic area,” and become a major fire, Leonard said. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental.

“The compressor failed for some reason,” Leonard said. The store was closed Tuesday.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Las Vegas, NV – Fire in supermarket bathroom quickly stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded to a fire at Marketon Supermarket in the northeast part of the valley early Friday morning.

LVFR spokesman Tim Szymanski said crews were called to 755 N. Nellis Boulevard at about 6:10 a.m. Aug. 9.

Szymanski said a fire sprinkler quickly put out the fire that started in a restroom at Marketon Supermarket. LVFR crews reported very little damage and no injuries.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Morris, IL – Fire at Menards contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Morris Fire Department and several others responded to a fire at Menards in Morris around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.  

Morris Fire Chief Tracy Steffes said the accidental fire was caused by a malfunctioning deep freeze that caused some racks of dry goods to catch fire.

The sprinkler system was activated containing the blaze until fire personnel could arrive. Steffes said this was an excellent example of where a fire suppression system saved a building from a multi-million dollar loss.

He also said a large amount of man power was needed to place fire attack lines into service due to size of the building. They also used the MABAS Division 10 large ventilation fan to clear smoke from building, which was filled with smoke from floor to ceiling. The fan came from the Lyons Fire Department.

The incident was investigated by the Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office, MABAS Division 15 Arson Investigators, Morris Police and Fire Departments. Estimated damages including loss of revenue due to being closed are at $1 million so far.

No injuries were reported and the business was closed on Sunday.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Houston, TX – Suspected arson fire at grocery store extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office needs your help finding an arson suspect so bold, he or she set a store on fire in the middle of the afternoon.

New video shows a mystery person set multiple small fires along the back wall of the 99 Cents Only store on SH-249 near Bammel North Houston Road.

Authorities said a sprinkler head activated and put out the flames. There were no injuries.

If you have any information on the suspect, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You can also submit an anonymous tip at www.Crime-Stoppers.org.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Lebanon, OR – Sprinkler system keeps fire at Walmart from growing; No injuries reported

LEBANON, Ore. — A hazmat team responded to the Walmart Supercenter on Santiam Highway in Lebanon Tuesday after a fire started in the pool chemical area.

Fire Chief Gordon Sletmoe of the Lebanon Fire District said the fire started at about 12:45 p.m. The building was evacuated, and the sprinkler system activated. Officials said the fire is out, but the building was full of smoke for a while after the incident.

Law enforcement shut down a 300 foot radius around the store and some nearby businesses were also evacuated. A couple of city streets were closed to protect citizens from the toxic smoke.

“There were no injuries,” Sletmoe said. “Walmart did a great job of evacuating people. If there is a fire in a commercial business and somebody tells you to leave, you should leave like the customers here did.”

Crews used a thermal imaging camera to locate the fire through the smoke, and the sprinkler system kept the fire from growing. Officials said multiple types of chemicals were stored in the aisle the fire started in. Using a hose line, crews put out the fire.

Sletmoe said the hazmat team was called in to determine which chemicals were involved in the fire. Officials said it took an hour to clear the smoke to start an investigation.

The Lebanon Fire District, Albany Fire Department and Sweet Home Fire Department brought eleven apparatus and about 40 personnel to the scene. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. If you have information, contact the Lebanon Fire District or the Lebanon Police Department.

No injuries were reported.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Tracy, CA – Automatic sprinkler system contains fire originating in storage area for collapsed cardboard boxes

Two police officers caught a fire that was just beginning behind a Tracy Boulevard grocery store in time for firefighters to arrive and keep the flames from spreading inside.

The officers with the Tracy Police Department were looking for a group of young men who were reportedly trying to break into cars at a nearby business when they spotted smoke behind La Plaza Market at 3225 N. Tracy Blvd. They drove behind the shopping center, spotted flames coming from a storage area at the back of the store and called in the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority.

According to Battalion Chief Scott Arganbright, four Tracy fire engines and a ladder truck were employed to control and extinguish the fire. He said an automatic sprinkler system on the loading dock of the grocery store activated and helped contain the flames.

The fire began in an area where collapsed cardboard boxes were stored. Arganbright said firefighters in the store and on the roof confirmed that no flames made it inside. The store did have light smoke damage and fire crews had the power to the complex shut off while they were working to prevent water from creating a short or electrocuting someone.

Investigators are looking into whether the fire was intentionally set.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Columbia, SC – Overnight arson fire at Walmart held in check by sprinkler system

Blog Editor Note: Fire sprinkler system SAVED the store and minimized fire damage. Store re-opened three days later, allowing employees to return to work.

Media Report: Two men have been charged with second-degree arson in connection with Tuesday’s fire that caused $3 million in damages at the Harbison Walmart, according to police. Steven D. Edwards, 41, and Bobby J. Murphy Jr., 46, are being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, police said. The fire happened Tuesday around 3 a.m. at the Walmart that sits just off Harbison Boulevard near Interstate 26. When crews arrived, heavy smoke filled the store and flames covered one of the food aisles, Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins told The State.

The store’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check, Jenkins said. Still, the fire, which investigators believe started in one of the food aisles, caused “significant” damage to inventory and the store. A few employees and customers were inside the building during the fire, but no one was injured, authorities said. The Walmart re-opened Friday. The Columbia Police Department said tips from Crimestoppers of the Midlands and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department helped find Edwards and Murphy.

The men will be transferred to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where a bond hearing will be held. Police had also announced a third person of interest in connection with the fire. A woman arrived with the two suspects in an older, green SUV, police said, but no arrest was announced. Both suspects have prior unrelated convictions. Edwards pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and receiving stolen goods in 2018, court records show. In 2009 and 2016, Murphy pleaded guilty to charges of domestic violence, cruelty to children, and manufacturing methamphetamine, according to records. The 2016 meth charge was suspended from 5 years in prison to 2 years probation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Albany, NY – Sprinkler system knocks down fire in supermarket pharmacy

Supervisors investigating damage after supermarket fire. Customers were inside when the fire broke out. Albany fire officials said when they arrived at the scene, there were many half filled shopping carts left in the aisles and check out lines, but everyone was able to get out safely. “We received a call for a fire at Hannaford,” said Albany Fire Department Batallion Chief, Greg Sokaris.”It turned out that it was a small electrical fire, refrigeration units in the pharmacy.” Albany fire fighters had trouble accessing the pharmacy since it was closed at the time when the flames broke out. The sprinkler system was able to knock down a majority of the blaze. The health department will also be assessing the damage to determine what products are salvageable.