Category Archives: Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

West Union, OH – Fire contained to one wall in women’s restroom thanks to fire sprinklers

In the morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 6, an alarm was sounded at the site of the old Prather’s IGA store and the future site Adams County Workforce & Development Center. A small fire was reported but no significant damage was done to the structure.

According to reports sent to The Defender, the fire was contained to just one wall in the women’s bathroom, and it was believed to have been caused by a shirt in the bathroom’s exhaust fan. Fortunately, the sprinkler head was an estimated foot from the exhaust fan and helped quickly extinguish the small fire. The wall that was damaged was scheduled for demolition in the future remodeling of the site to become the training center and there was no damage to the roof or trusses.

According to Holly Johnson, Director of the Adams County Economic Development office, the small fire “will not impede progress” in the work on the new Training Center.

Johnson continued, “We cannot thank Officer Jason Hanson of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Officer Brown of the West Union Police Department for their early detection of the alarm, plus all of the other law enforcement agencies and personnel that responded to the incident. West Union Life Squad personnel and the West Union Fire Department were there in full force, also assisted by the Manchester Fire Department.

Other - Retail, Retail

Orland Park, IL – Sprinkler system keeps fire in check at pet store, saving the animals

Officials in Orland Park believe a sprinkler system helped save a group of critters from a fire that broke out at a pet store Monday in the southwest suburb.

Crews responded about 8:15 p.m. to reports of a fire at Chicago Fish and Coral Company, 14412 John Humphrey Drive, according to Ray Hanania, spokesman for the Orland Fire Protection District.

The sprinkler system was activated soon after the blaze broke out, and firefighters extinguished the small fire when they arrived, Hanania said. Smoke was removed from inside the store with the help of additional crews.

The store’s owner, Brian Potter, said he was initially worried the fire would cause “total devastation.” However, the animals were all safe and in good condition.

“We had a fire at the store there was no loss of life for any animals it was very minor and contained we have a lot of cleanup to do we just wanted everybody to know all the animals are safe!,” a post on the store’s Facebook page said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the quick activation of the sprinkler system helped keep the blaze in check, Hanania said.

Potter said the fire stemmed from a chiller near a fish tank. The shop was closed Tuesday and is expected to open Wednesday.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Sacramento, CA – Fire at strip mall contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Firefighters say no one was hurt in a two-alarm fire at a south Sacramento strip mall on Friday morning.

The scene was along the 5800 block of Stockton Boulevard.

According to the Sacramento Fire Department, the fire was first reported a little after 7 a.m. A second-alarm was called.

Firefighters extinguished the flames within the hour. They credit the building’s sprinkler system with helping contain the flames to one unit.

Traffic in the area was blocked due to the fire response.

Exactly what caused the fire is still under investigation.

Department Store, Retail

Springfield, IL – Sprinkler system helps knock down fire at department store; No injuries reported

Springfield Fire crews responded to an electrical fire at Gordmans in Southwest Plaza, 3231 S. Veterans Parkway, at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

There was a light on fire near the dressing rooms in the middle of the department store, which is part of a Midwestern chain. A spokesperson for the SFD said investigators indicated that the fire was accidentally set.

The call came into the SFD from a store employee.

A sprinkler system in the store was activated, helping crews to knock down the fire quickly.

There was residual smoke damage as well as water damage to the store.

City Water, Light & Power was dispatched to the scene, but fire crews were able to isolate an issue with an electrical breaker.

The store was evacuated and didn’t re-open to the public.

No injuries were reported.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Moline, IL – Fire caused by incense left burning in shopping mall put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Incense that was left burning inside a store at SouthPark Mall has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, according to Moline’s fire marshal.

The fire started just after 11 a.m. on Monday, December 16.  The mall was evacuated as the halls filled with smoke.

According to Fire Marshal Jerry Spiegel, the fire started inside the Fig Tree bookstore.  He said incense had been left burning with the ashes falling into a cardboard box; that’s what ultimately caused the fire.

Spiegel said the fire was contained within minutes.  Four sprinklers went off and helped put out most of the flames before crews arrived, but smoke continued to filter through the mall hallways.

Damage to the Fig Tree has been estimated at about $50,000, said Spiegel.  That combined with the smoke damage to other stores adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Spiegel said the biggest challenge for crews was getting the smoke out of the building.  TMI came to help activate the mall’s ventilation system to get the smoke out.

There were no injuries.

The inside of the mall was set to remain closed for Monday.  The anchor stores, JCPenney, Dillards and Von Maur opened from the outside, according to mall management.

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.