Category Archives: Retail

Department Store, Retail

Lumberton, NC – Suspicious fire at department store contained by sprinkler system; Fire crews finish extinguishing blaze

Police in Lumberton are investigating a fire at a department store they say has been deemed suspicious. The fire broke out at the Rose’s department store on East 24th Street around 9:55 a.m. Monday. Lumberton police and Lumberton fire were called the scene. The sprinkler system activated one head, and the fire department was able to extinguish the remaining fire.

Lumberton police Capt. Terry Parker says the fire is being investigated as suspicious. No injuries were reported. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Charles Keenum at 910-671-3845.

Retail

Annapolis, MD – Storage room fire at nail salon contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a Safeway store on the 1700 block of Forest Drive shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, Cpt. Phil Morris said. Crews were responding to a “water flow alarm” at the grocery store, Morris said. But when firefighters arrived, they found the fire in the adjacent nail salon, Vy Nails. The fire, located in a storage room at the rear of the salon, set off a single sprinkler head, Morris said. That contained the fire, but fire crews had to use their hoses to extinguish it. No injuries were reported.

Auto Dealership, Retail

East Brookfield, MA – Sprinkler system activated for truck fire in garage of Ford dealership

Overhead sprinklers helped knock down a small truck fire in the garage of a Ford car and truck dealership.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, a truck being serviced at Lamoureux Ford, 366 E. Main St., somehow caught fire, police Lt. William Gregoire said.

At the time of the fire, the truck was on a lift that was raised in the air and being worked on, Lt. Gregoire said.

Lt. Gregoire said the sprinkler system in the building took care of the fire pretty quickly, with the aid of fire extinguishers.

“The sprinkler system was the savior of the day,” Lt. Gregoire said. “It worked as it was supposed to.”

The garage was filled with smoke.

No one was hurt, according to police.

Retail

Chattanooga, TN – Arson fire at Walgreens store controlled with help from sprinkler system

A Florida man has been arrested after setting fire to the bathroom at the Walgreens on Gunbarrel Road. Jeremy Wilson, 38, of Orlando was charged with aggravated assault in the incident on Christmas Day. The manager said the sprinkler went off in the bathroom. He then found that the door was locked from the inside. After the fire department responded, they were able to get inside though Wilson was holding against the door. He said he had set a fire because people were after him and he said he would be rescued by personnel responding to the fire.

Retail

Rockford, IL – Storage room fire in retail store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Rockford Fire Department responded to Chateau More Than a Dress, 2508 South Alpine Road in the Alpine Village Shopping Center, around 7:45 p.m. Monday night after a sprinkler alarm went off in the business. Firefighters found smoke inside the business and an extinguished fire was discovered in a back storage area. The fire was put out by the sprinkler system. Fire damage was limited to a small area of merchandise. The business and a neighboring business also suffered water damage. Investigators say about $15,000 in damage was done. Other business in the strip mall were unaffected and remained open. No one was hurt.

Retail

Shrewsbury, MA – Fire at Walgreen’s store put out with help from sprinkler system

Aided by the building’s sprinkler systems, firefighters quickly put out a fire at the Walgreens drugstore on Route 9 on last Tuesday night. Merchandise in the store sustained “extensive” fire and smoke damage, but the building itself did not sustain major damage, according to the Fire Department. Everyone got out of the building uninjured. The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the source of the fire. Firefighters went to the store at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday and encountered heavy smoke inside the building. The sprinkler system had kept the fire from becoming worse, the Fire Department said. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The store was closed Wednesday while Walgreens cleaned up.

Other - Retail, Retail

Winchester, NH – Sprinkler system activated at fire in fireworks store

A 75-year-old Winchester man faces seven charges, including four felonies, after state and local law enforcement officials said the wanton discharge of his shotgun set off a massive fire in September at a nearby fireworks store that caused up to $1 million in damages.

Joseph E. Champagne was released on bail.

He will be arraigned Jan. 3 in the 8th Circuit Court Keene District Division on felony charges of reckless conduct, criminal mischief and two counts of falsifying physical evidence, officials said.

Champagne also was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, false swearing and unauthorized use of a firearm.

The arrest follows a joint investigation of State Fire Marshal Paul Parisi’s office and the Winchester Fire and Police departments into the Sept. 24 fire at Stateline Fireworks at 151 Keene Road in Winchester.

According to store executives, Champagne was working part time as a groundskeeper for the owner’s family at the time of the fire.

The fireworks store was open at the time of the fire and was staffed by two employees who were working outside.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries but the blaze caused between $600,000 and $1 million in damages, Parisi said. Store executives put the damage at about $700,000.

All of the fire sprinkler heads in the business’s showroom worked and there was a speedy local public safety response, which saved the building and kept the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

Winchester Fire Chief Barry Kellom and Winchester Police Lt. Mike Tollett said the probe confirmed that Champagne had discharged his 12-gauge slug-style shotgun and that the slug traveled through the exterior wall of nearby 156 Keene Road and traveled across Route 10 and into the Stateline Fireworks store — immediately setting off the fireworks stored inside.

Parisi said the chain-reaction explosions that ensued rendered the 3,300-square-foot retail sales floor untenable for human life.

Executives with the Stateline Fireworks business have told state officials they hope to reopen next March.

Parisi and Tollett said the discharged shell could have struck a passing driver on Route 10.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Jackson, MO – Fire in freezer at grocery store contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

 Jackson Fire Department responded to a small fire in Jackson, Missouri on Tuesday, Dec. 11.  Around 11 p.m., crew responded to a fire at Country Mart on Jackson Blvd. When crews arrived there was moderate smoke in the building.  The fire started in a freezer in the kitchen area and was quickly contained by the sprinkler system. Crews took about 10 minutes to put out the fire.  No one was injured and the fire was contained entirely in the freezer.

Department Store, Retail

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system triggered by fire at Dollar Tree Store; No injuries reported

Duluth firefighters were called to the Dollar Tree Store at 215 North Central Avenue on Sunday afternoon.

When they arrived, smoke was seen coming from the roof of the building and the store was being evacuated.

Fire was found in the storeroom area of the store and was extinguished, there were no injuries.

The fire triggered the sprinkler system in the store.

Smoke and standing water was removed from the store but it will be closed until further notice.

Damage estimates were set at 15 thousand dollars for the structure and 80 thousand for the contents.

The business next door, Greystar Electronics had a small amount of water damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Retail

Estero, FL – Sprinkler system limits spread of stockroom fire at Michael Kors outlet shop

The Michael Kors shop at Miromar Outlets in Estero was closed Monday after a fire last Thursday, according to a fire official.  The fire was caused by sparks from a light over storage racks in a backroom, said Susan Lindenmuth, director of public affairs with Estero Fire Rescue.  The fire was investigated by the Lee County Fire-Arson Task Force along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and was initially contained by two fire sprinklers.

The fire was fully extinguished when crews from Estero Fire Rescue, San Carlos Park and Bonita Springs Fire Control arrived shortly after 11 a.m., Lindenmuth said.  Extensive smoke damage was noted throughout the store, although fire damage was contained to the storeroom by the sprinkler system, Lindenmuth said.  The smoke damage to the store’s merchandise was extensive, which is why the damage was so costly, Lindenmuth said.

A couple of stores near Michael Kors suffered some smoke and water damage, including Vineyard Vines, Sunglass Hut and Swarovski, said Jeff Staner, vice president of Miromar Outlets.  Staner said he was unsure when the Michael Kors shop would reopen.  Sunglass Hut reopened Monday, Swarovski is expected to reopen Tuesday, and Vineyard Vines on Thursday, Staner said.

Fire-damaged debris was piled outside the Michael Kors shop, and part of the shopping area at the outlets was blocked off with caution tape after the fire Thursday.  For safety reasons, firefighters cut power to the building where Michael Kors is located, which meant other shops and restaurants in the same building had no power and were closed part of the day Thursday, Lindenmuth said.

Power was restored to the affected areas late Thursday afternoon, Staner said.  “They did a good job of evacuating everybody, and the employees from Michael Kors let the other stores know to evacuate,” Lindenmuth said.  Multiple stores were evacuated. No injuries were reported from the fire.