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.
Category Archives: Retail
Huntsville, AL – Sprinkler system helps contain fire in craft department of Walmart
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.
Knoxville, TN – Fire at mall food court contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported
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.
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.
Waterloo, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at Menards near shower displays; No injuries reported
Authorities confirm that a fire started in Menards near the shower displays.
There was noticeable smoke inside the building.
No injuries were reported.
Authorities say the sprinkler system took care of most of the fire.
This is a developing story.
Stick with KWWL on-air and online as we get more information.
Owensboro, KY – Compressor fire at grocery store contained by fire sprinkler system
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.
Eden Prairie, MN – Fire at shopping mall quickly put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported
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.
Las Vegas, NV – Fire in supermarket bathroom quickly stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported
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.
Surfside Beach, SC – Strip mall fire brought under control by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported
Emergency crews responded to a fire Monday morning at a strip mall in Surfside Beach.
A call came out for a fire at 1610 South Highway 17 Business at 6:39 a.m., according to an online post from Horry County Fire Rescue.
The fire was brought under control with the help of the building’s sprinkler system. The building was also worked for possible hot spots and ventilated during the overhaul process, the post states.
There were no reports of injuries.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Portland, OR – Sprinkler system keeps fire at Goodwill in check; No injuries reported
Crews responded to the fire shortly after 3 a.m.
When crews arrived on scene, they found heavy smoke filling the building.
Firefighters entered the building from the front and called for reinforcements. They found the fire in the back of the building near the loading dock.
Fire investigator Rob Garrison said the fire started somewhere in the vinyl or foam lining of the loading dock pad.
Garrison said a triggered sprinkler head helped keep the fire contained before crews arrived.
The fire damage was confined to the back wall, the area where trucks load and unload, and a truck that was backed up to the door at the time of the fire.
No one was injured and no one was inside the building when the fire started.
Garrison is still investigating the cause of the fire.
The store is closed until further notice.
