Category Archives: Other – Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

Buford, GA – Sprinklers contain fire at muffler shop; Spark from metal saw ignited fuel vapors

A fire sparked by a metal-cutting tool damaged a Buford-area muffler shop Thursday afternoon, according to Gwinnett Fire. No injuries were reported. Firefighters responded to the shop located at 803 West Shadburn Ferry Road at 2:51 p.m. after an employee called to report the blaze, the fire department said in a news release.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the caller reported a car elevated on a mechanical lift had caught on fire. The blaze was held in check by the fire sprinkler system, but sent heavy smoke billowing from the building.

“Several employees were inside the business at the time and were working on the vehicle when the fire started,” Rutledge said in the news release. “The fire appears accidental and was caused by a spark from a saw that was being used to cut metal. The spark ignited nearby fuel vapors.”

The vehicle was heavily damaged. Extensive heat and smoke were sent throughout the mechanic bay. The fire was under control at 3:21 p.m., Rutledge said.

Other - Retail, Retail

London, ON, Canada – Official thanking sprinkler system following Goodwill Donation Centre blaze

A Goodwill Industries official is praising the sprinkler system after a fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Outlet & Donation Centre on White Oak Rd.

President and CEO of Goodwill Industries Michelle Quintyn tells AM980 when fire crews were called.

“At about 11 o’clock this morning, we had a small fire start in the back end of the building. Alarm went off, the one area of the sprinkler system went off, we evacuated the building, everyone got out safely,” she said. “We have had quite a bit of activity here today making sure that the fire is out, it’s a building full of textiles and all kinds of recyclable materials.”

A damage estimate and cause of the blaze could not be determined by the Fire Inspector on duty

Quintyn did, however, mention that the building was undergoing roof work

“The area that the fire occurred is more a warehousing area, it is not a production area. In that vicinity there was some roof work going on,” she said. “A sprinkler system is a good thing to have in a big building like this.”

Fire crews could also be seen inspecting tar machines near where the fire broke out.

Quintyn added that there were well over 200 people in the building at the time, many of them employees and some customers. No injuries have been reported.

 

 

Other - Retail, Retail

Tampa, FL – Early morning arson fire at business extinguished by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at the Hookah Hut in South Tampa today has been ruled an arson, firefighters said. Tampa Fire Rescue responded to the business, 3215 Henderson Blvd., at 6:19 a.m. and found that the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, according to a release from the agency.

The Fire Marshal arrived to investigate and found that the front and rear doors of the business showed signs of forced entry, the release said.  The Fire Marshal also discovered that the fire started in multiple places and found an unknown liquid with a strong odor. 

Tampa Fire Rescue’s HAZMAT team was called in to investigate the liquid. About $20,000 in damage was caused to the building and contents, firefighters said. Firefighters continue to investigate.

Anyone with information should contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at (813) 274-7000 or use the anonymous tips page at www.tampagov.net/arsontips. Rewards of up to $2,500 or more are available for information leading to an arrest.

Other - Retail, Retail

Pigeon Forge, TN – Sprinklers help contain overnight fire at popular retail store

A fire at popular Pigeon Forge western store Stages West early Thursday morning left the building and its roof “structurally weakened” but still intact, said Pigeon Forge Fire Department Capt. Erik Preske.

Firefighters were called to the store, 2765 Parkway, around 4:09 a.m., and the fire was out “right at dawn,” Preske said. Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Sevier County and Walden’s Creek volunteer fire departments assisted Pigeon Forge, he said.

Preske said the store’s sprinkler system “absolutely” played a part in containing the blaze. Preske said there is extensive smoke and water damage to the building.

The cause of the fire is unknown; investigators were still on the scene late Thursday morning, he said.

Store owner Marlene Houser said the store will remain closed “until we are able to assess the full extent of the damage.”

“We are still waiting to hear about what caused this event,” she said. “No one was injured, and for that, we are thankful.”

According to its Facebook page, the store is family owned and has been selling western apparel since 1975.

Other - Retail, Retail

Bonney Lake, WA – Sprinkler system activates to help contain fire at thrift store

Firefighters from East Pierce Fire and Rescue quickly contained an electrical fire at the Bonney Lake Goodwill Thrift store early this morning. Just before 4 a.m., someone who had been walking behind the building at 21153 State Route 410 East, reported the fire. At the same time, the building’s automatic fire alarm notified dispatch.

According to East Pierce Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Jay Adams, the fire started at an electrical panel and had spread to a nearby wall. It was primarily contained to a small room where the electrical panel was located. “Although there was some smoke throughout the store, for the most part, the smoke was contained to that room,” he says. The sprinkler system activated, but only near the fire.

A ladder truck from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue also responded. No injuries were reported.

 

Other - Retail, Retail

Benton Twp, MI – Arson fire at thrift store extinguished by sprinkler system

A thrift store fire in Benton Township has now been declared an arson. According to our reporting partners at Herald Palladium, the fire broke out just before 5 p.m. Sunday at the Valueland thrift store in the 1800 block of m-139.

Police now believe that the fire was set to the store to try and cover up a robbery after money was missing from the store office where the fire started. The fire was quickly put out by the store’s sprinkler system.

Other - Retail, Retail

Bixby, OK – Sprinklers contain fire at bicycle shop after truck crashes into building

Bixby crews were on the scene of a fire at Bixby Bicycles after a pickup truck crashed inside around 5 a.m. Saturday.  The deputy chief with Bixby fire told said the businesses at The Market Place Center were without water until just before 10 Saturday morning.

Crews blocked off the rear exit of Bixby Bicycles where the pickup truck crashed through the building near 111th and Memorial.   The deputy chief said that it was the sprinkler system that kept the fire from spreading to the other units.

The crash didn’t cause any structural damage to the strip mall.  The bicycle shop was supposed to open at 10 this morning, but the owner says they’re still open for business.  He says they have a warehouse on the other side of their bicycle shop that they can operate out of.  Police are searching for the driver who crashed into the building.

Other - Retail, Retail

Portsmouth, NH – Sprinkler system limits damage in overnight fire at auto body shop

A radio likely sparked an early morning fire at an auto body shop that would have caused about $100,000 in damage, if not for a working sprinkler system, said Fire Chief Steve Achilles.  Firefighters responded to the Portsmouth Autobody Center at 4:36 a.m. Wednesday when an alarm sounded from the 700 Peverly Hill Road business, said the fire chief. When they arrived, it took firefighters about 15 minutes to locate the fire because it was in back of the main building, inside a separate 200-foot by 120-foot metal building, Achilles said.

Firefighters had to force their way into the locked and smoke-filled building and one firefighter injured his hand while making entry, according to Achilles. He was treated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and released, the chief said.  Once inside, firefighters “used a line to knock down the remaining fire,” said Achilles. An investigation concluded with a theory that a radio, or a wire to a radio, started the fire inside a storage cabinet, Achilles said. No vehicles or people were in the building at the time, he said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Kent, WA – Sprinkler system stops fire at car audio business

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A business’s sprinkler system stopped a fire from spreading and limited damage in the 25900 block of 104 Avenue Southeast, the Kent Fire Department RFA reported.

The car audio business was closed when the initial call came in for a sprinkler water flow alarm at 7:36 p.m. When the first engine from Kent Fire arrived, they found water and smoke coming from the business, which was at the end of a strip mall.

Firefighters entered the building and found a small fire that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system. It was the water coming from the sprinkler heads that set off the alarm. The presence of the sprinkler system kept the fire from causing more damage or spreading to adjacent businesses. A small amount of water was found in the next business, which had seeped from the affected area.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries.

Other - Retail, Retail

Spokane, WA – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at tanning salon

A Spokane, Washington woman is okay after her tanning bed caught fire with her inside while at the tanning salon. The woman said she heard a sizzling noise, then saw plastic from the bed bubbling up near her feet and that’s when she quickly got out. An employee called 911.

When firefighters arrived the tanning bed was engulfed in flames. A sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading. The salon owner says the tanning bed was about five years old. The fire chief at the scene says another tanning bed caught fire last year at a different tanning salon in town.