Category Archives: Retail

Restaurant, Retail, Shopping Mall

Huntington Station, NY – Restaurant fire in strip mall extinguished by sprinkler system

Multiple fire departments were on the scene of a fire at a strip mall in Huntington Station last Friday afternoon. Suffolk Police say a 911 call came in at 2:46 p.m. reporting a fire at 1760 New York Ave.

“Manor firefighters responded to a report of smoke from a building on New York Ave and West Hills Road on Friday afternoon. Chief Chuck Brady determined that heavy smoke was coming from the Don Juan Pupuseria and transmitted a working fire. Firefighters entered the building and searched for the seat of the fire. A fire was found to be burning in the kitchen. A majority of the fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system with a crew from Engine 3 hitting remaining hot spots. We were assisted by Huntington and Melville firefighters at the scene and Greenlawn firefighters stood by at Manors Headquarters. Huntington Community First Aid Squad provided an E.M S. standby at the scene. There were no reported injuries. All units were under the command of Chief Jon Hoffman.”

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system activates to help keep fire at supermarket from growing

A midtown Safeway was open again Monday after a fire broke out late Friday, March 1. The store in the 1900 block of East Broadway was partially open, according to a customer service representative. The employee said they don’t have hot water yet as they are waiting for their gas to be turned back on. The grocery and produce sections are open, as is the pharmacy.

Barrett Baker, spokesman for the Tucson Fire Department, said they were called out to the fire around 8 p.m. Friday and had it under control by 8:30 p.m. Baker said the sprinkler system worked, which also kept the fire from growing.

As of 10 a.m., the deli, meat market, bakery and Starbucks were still closed. Everything was expected to be open again by noon. The store is popular hub for Wildcats, due to its proximity to the University of Arizona. Baker said no one was injured inside the store, which is near Broadway and Kino Parkway.

“Initial reports were that an employee noticed the fire and another employee tried to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher,” Baker said. “This slowed the growth of the fire dramatically.” Baker said the sprinkler system worked, which also kept the fire from growing. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but a Safeway worker said it began when a bag of potato chips went up in flames. Inspectors were at the store Saturday to clean up and check food for smoke damage.

Retail

Vancouver, WA – Attic fire at clothing store controlled by sprinkler system

A failed electric conduit in the attic of a small store in the Bagley Downs neighborhood was the cause of Sunday’s two-alarm fire, according to the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office. Fire personnel responded about 5:10 a.m. to Novedades Lizy, a women’s clothing store located in a strip mall at 5904 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., after a passer-by reported smoke coming from the building, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said. The fire was contained within 30 minutes of firefighters entering the building with a hose and cutting a hole in the room to allow smoke to escape, according to a Sunday press release from the Vancouver Fire Department. No one was inside the building when the blaze started.

“Fortunately, the building was equipped with a fire sprinkler system, which quickly activated and controlled the fire in the attic until firefighters arrived to complete the extinguishment,” Scarpelli said. The fire was ruled accidental and damages are estimated at $66,000. No one was displaced, but two businesses will be closed until repairs are complete, Scarpelli said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Farmers Branch, TX – (no media coverage) – Sprinkler system activated for structure fire at auto repair shop

*** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported *** Occupancy is an auto repair shop.  Fire occurred at 7:37 pm on 2/19/2019.  Quint 133 was dispatched for an automatic fire alarm at the location.  Upon arrival, Quint 133 entered the facility, which was closed for the day, and observed light smoke.  Quint 133 Captain upgraded to a structure fire while they investigated.  Quint 133 crew heard the sound of a sprinkler head activation.  Upon further investigation, they observed a burned tool cart adjacent to a brand new F250 Ford Truck on a lift.  One sprinkler head activated above the tool cart.  Sprinkler system was shut off and an Investigator was requested.  Investigator examined the 2’x 3’ burned tool cart with a variety of tools and a damaged curb guard on the F250 Ford Truck.  No electricity was supplied to the cart.  The only source of ignition was energized lithium batteries for tools.  The  cause of the fire was accidental.  Total content loss was estimated at $800.  No structural damage.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Mount Vernon, VA – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at Mega Mart before fire crews arrived

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a person of interest in a fire that occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

At 1:13 p.m., Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units responded for reports of a fire in a bathroom at the Mega Mart located at 8228 Richmond Highway. The fire was extinguished by a fire sprinkler system prior to fire and rescue department arrival. The fire is under investigation.

The person of interest is described as African American and was last seen wearing a blue knit hat, light blue jacket, dark pants, and black backpack. Fire investigators would like to speak with this individual regarding their investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lieutenant S. Khan at 703- 246-4738 or salman.khan@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Gaithersburg, MD – Sprinkler system prevented fire from spreading at auto repair shop; No injuries reported

Two cars are left damaged after a fire started in a Gaithersburg auto repair shop.

According to the Montgomery County Fire Department, the fire broke out Thursday at about 7 am at J B Auto Repair on Rickenbacker Drive.

About 50 firefighters were on scene and found that the fire started in the engine compartment of a BMW vehicle, and extended to at least one other car.

Officials say the sprinkler system helped prevent the fire from spreading to other cars under repair inside the garage.

“Good thing it happened at the end of the shop. There were like 14 cars inside the shop, so two of them were the two last cars that got damaged. We were able to, I guess, get the issue solved early, but a lot of clean up to do,” explained J B Auto Repair owner, Jose Benitez.

Fire officials determined the cause to be accidental, but say they are aware that the BMW vehicle model does have a history of issues with fires starting in the engine area and believe that to have been the cause.

No employees or firefighters suffered injuries. 

Other - Retail, Retail

Richfield, WI – Fire at Cabela’s extinguished by sprinkler system

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Firefighters on Thursday night, Feb. 21 responded to the scene of a fire at Cabela’s in the Village of Richfield. The call came in around 11:15 p.m.

Officials say the fire originated in an arcade game on the second floor — and was extinguished by the sprinkler system. The fire appeared to be electrical.

It was estimated by fire personnel that approximately 3,000 gallons of water was expelled from the sprinkler system.

The incident remains under investigation, and no one was injured as a result the fire.

Other - Retail, Retail

Sparks, NV – Fire at CVS Pharmacy extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Sparks Fire Department has extinguished a fire at the CVS Pharmacy at Oddie and El Rancho.

Firefighters were called shortly before 1PM February 21, 2019 and found the fire in and around the HVAC system; it had been partially extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system. Fire crews finished putting the fire out with their hose.

No one was hurt. The cause has not been determined.

Sparks Fire says the store is closed pending repairs to the sprinkler system and roof.

With 24 firefighters on scene, Sparks Fire got help from Truckee Meadows Fire and Reno Fire to cover the city until crews were released from the incident.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Concord, NC – Mall fire confined to small area by sprinkler system

A fire near Off Broadway Shoes caused an evacuation of Concord Mills Wednesday afternoon.

Around 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Concord Fire was dispatched to the mall. When crews arrived, they did find an active fire within a small corridor located near Off Broadway Shoes.

As crews arrived on the scene of the Concord Mills Alarm, an effective evacuation of occupants was taking place, and fire department crews located a fire within a corridor.

Both the Concord Fire Department and Concord Police Department worked diligently to assist in a complete evacuation. And fire department personnel were able to extinguish the fire within 8-10 minutes of arrival on the scene.

Due to the alarm and sprinkler systems activating, the fire was kept to a small confined area. However, it was for safety purposes that the mall remained evacuated for several hours.

Cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Concord Fire Marshal’s office.

Department Store, Retail

Paso Robles, CA – Sprinkler system held fire in check at Lowe’s Home Improvement until fire crews arrived

A fire started inside the Lowe’s Home Improvement in Paso Robles on Saturday night.

According to Paso Fire Battalion Chief  Scott Hallett, a fire started in the rear of the building, in the receiving and storage area of the store around 8:30 p.m.

Multiple resources responded alongside Paso Robles Fire including CAL FIRE and Atascadero Fire Department.

The fire was “held in check” by the sprinkler prior to the arrival of firefighters, Hallet said.

Crews worked about three hours, working on smoke evacuation and water removal. Hallet reported the fire caused minor damage to merchandise and damage to storage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Taking the damage into account, Lowe’s Home Improvement is likely to reopen on Sunday, Hallett said.