Category Archives: Retail

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.

Other - Retail, Retail

Starkville, MS – Fire caused by bathroom exhaust fan at local GameStop contained by fire sprinklers

GameStop on Highway 12 in Starkville was shut down after firefighters battled a fire in the back of the building.

In a Facebook post, firefighters said the structure fire broke out early Tuesday morning.

The fire alarm and fire sprinkler system activation alerted the fire department.

Firefighters who responded to the scene said they were able to contain the fire and keep damage to a minimum because the “fire codes and safety building feature worked perfectly.”

Investigators said the cause of the fire was a ceiling bathroom exhaust fan.

The post read, “This could have had a completely different ending it if were not for the fire sprinkler system and fire alarm system all working just like designed.”

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.

Department Store, Retail

Durham, NC – Fire sprinkler helps put out fire at Home Goods store, caused by cash register; No injuries reported

Fire officials say an issue with cash register was the cause of an early morning fire at the Home Goods store located in the 8200 block of Renaissance Parkway.

Firefighters responded to the store to find several alarms activating and heavy smoke coming from the front door.

Authorities say 32 firefighters, with the help a full sprinkler system, quickly extinguished the fire.

The entire store sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

No one was injured and no other stores were affected.

The store will remain closed until the damage is repaired.

Department Store, Retail

Riverside, CA – Fire at Target contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Target store on Arlington Avenue in Riverside was evacuated Sunday afternoon after a small fire broke out and set off sprinklers inside the outlet, firefighters said.

There were no injuries from the incident, reported just before 4 p.m., Riverside City Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff DeLaurie said. All employees and customers had left the store, at 3333 Arlington Ave., before firefighters arrived, he said.

The fire was a small one, confined to the ceiling area above the electronics section of the store, a release from the department said later Sunday evening.  Firefighters shut down the sprinklers and helped salvage merchandise and remove water from the store, the release said.

Shortly after 4 p.m. customers and employees were outside the Target, and the only customer cars in the parking lot were occupied by those who had lingered to watch the action, or had just pulled up after the evacuation was ordered.

No smoke was visible from the outside.

Firefighters said they had handed the remainder of the incident over to Target store management. There was no word available Sunday evening when the store might re-open.

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.

Department Store, Retail

Kyle, TX – Minimal damage to Lowe’s garden department after sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading

The Kyle Fire Department said the garden department at Lowe’s has minimal damage after a fire on Thursday.

They tweeted about the fire at 5753 Kyle Parkway around 8:20 p.m. The area is just south of Bebee and Bunton Creek Road.

It said the fire set off the sprinkler system, which kept the fire from spreading. Crews arrived at the scene and put the fire out.

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.