Category Archives: Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

San Luis Obispo, CA – Fire sprinklers contain fire at PetSmart to one room; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to a fire at PetSmart off Froom Ranch Way in San Luis Obispo just after 5:10 a.m. Sunday.

Fire officials say an employee of PetSmart called the department after getting to work and seeing flames. No other occupants were inside the building at the time of the fire.

The blaze was contained to one room, but the building was filled with smoke, and water from the sprinkler system.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire within 10 minutes without injuries.

Officials with San Luis Obispo City Fire say they were no pet casualties. However, some of the store’s product was damaged.

Firefighters were able to ventilate the building, but there will be significant clean up.

PetSmart employees say they’re hoping to have the store open by 5 p.m. Sunday.

Officials say this could have been an electrical fire, but the fire marshal is still investigating.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Faribault, MN – Fire at Petsmart in local mall extinguished by fire sprinklers

Faribault Fire Chief Dustin Dienst meets this morning with a investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office to go over the results of a fire that started in the bathroom at PetsMart in the Faribo West Mall.  The call was received 4:59 p.m. Tuesday with the Faribault Fire Department, Faribault Police Department, Rice County Sheriff’s Office and North Ambulance all responding to the scene.

People were evacuated from the building. Chief Dienst says, “Light smoke could be seen in the back of the business.  Police officers made entry to locate the fire, evacuate animals and give the fire department a size up.”

When the fire department got there it was determined the fire was located in a bathroom and the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire.  The sprinkler system was shut down.  Firefighters used squeegees to clean up the water on the floor by pushing it down a drain.

Faribault Police also did on scene investigation and it was decided to call in the State Fire Marshal’s Office because the fire was determined to be suspicious.

Chief Dienst noted the Discover School had a fire late Sunday night where the sprinkler system also did it’s job.  That fire was reported 11:17 p.m. Sunday.  When the fire department arrived alarms were sounding.

Fire crews located the fire on the 3rd floor and made a quick knock down of the fire with the help from the sprinkler system in the building.  The majority of the fire was contained to the 3rd floor ceiling.  A small fire started on the wood floor below the ceiling fire from burning materials falling from the ceiling.  That fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical short in a wire that was covered with cellulose insulation in the 3rd floor ceiling.

Chief Dienst commented, “The building’s sprinkler system and alarm system operated correctly and alerted the fire department while the fire was still small.  Firefighters made entry, located and extinguished the fire quickly.  Without those systems this fire had the potential to destroy the building.”

Chief Dienst also commended the employees of PetsMart for, “Doing a good job of evacuating the customers so that no one was in danger.”

Other - Retail, Retail

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system helps contain pallet fire at Goodwill store; No injuries reported

In Duluth, firefighters responded to an automatic alarm at the Goodwill Store at 700 Garfield Avenue on Friday afternoon. They found smoke coming from the rear of the building where pallets of assorted goods were on fire. Fire containment was assisted by an activated sprinkler head. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Knoxville, TN – Fire at mall food court contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Anchor store have begun reopening in West Town Mall after the mall evacuated Friday morning due to a small fire in the Food Court area.

The Knoxville fire department was alerted to a fire at approximately 11 a.m. in West town Mall.

Fire department crews discovered a small fire in the rear of three restaurants located in the Food Court.

The fire sprinkler system contained the fire and crews were able to continue extinguishment. No one was injured.

The mall was evacuated as a precaution and anchor stores have begun to reopen to customers.

The fire is under investigation and no cause has been determined. All Mall entrances are blocked to incoming traffic.

Other - Retail, Retail

Courtenay, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system stops fire from spreading from roof at pharmacy

A fire in the roof of Living Room Pharmacy was quickly extinguished by Courtenay Fire Department.

There was nobody at the business when the fire broke out, at approximately 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“It started [around] the sign at the front of the building; there’s actually no damage inside the building, really,” said Living Room Pharmacy owner Greg Oksanen.

By the time the Courtenay Fire Department arrived, the business’s sprinkler system was fully activated.

“Absolutely – that’s what kept it in the location that it was at,” said Courtenay Fire Chief Don Bardonnex. “The fire was contained inside that peak point. The fire followed the wiring up over to the side, then ran up to the top, and went through the roof. That’s where it was when we arrived. The sprinkler system stopped it from spreading anywhere else.”

Bardonnex said the fire started in behind the sign itself, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Oksanen said he doesn’t expect the setback to affect business too much.

“We will have to mop up but we will deal with people who have to get a prescription today; otherwise we will ask them to come back tomorrow or the next day,” he said.

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Eden Prairie, MN – Fire at shopping mall quickly put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Moviegoers were forced to evacuate Wednesday evening after a small fire broke out near the AMC Theater at Eden Prairie Center.

According to the Eden Prairie Fire Department, the fire occurred around 7:45 p.m. in a back hallway behind the AMC theater, where it was quickly controlled by the sprinkler system installed inside the mall.

The fire caused light smoke in the mall, but heavy smoke in the back hallway.

Authorities say there were no injuries and no other businesses in the mall were evacuated. The theater is expected to reopen Thursday.