Category Archives: Retail

Other - Retail, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at furniture store; No injuries reported

Lithium-ion batteries were suspected to have sparked a fire at a Yuma furniture store Friday morning.

According to the Yuma Fire Department, at 5:30 a.m., crews were dispatched to a report of a “water flow alarm” in the 300 block of West 32nd Street. Upon arrival, crews found a large furniture store with heavy smoke and water exiting from the front door. Firefighters were able to enter the structure and extinguish the fire quickly.

It was discovered that a properly working fire sprinkler was able to prevent any further damage to the building and its contents, YFD said. No injuries were reported, and business operations were not disrupted.

“Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant property damage and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex,” YFD noted.

A YFD investigator discovered the fire’s area of origin was a shelf with lithium-ion batteries and a battery charging station, YFD said, noting “This is yet another call for service in which lithium-ion batteries have been involved.”

YFD offered the following battery charging tips:

Use the provided or approved charger for the battery

Do not use extension cords or overload surge protectors

Do not use damaged or deformed batteries

Keep batteries away from high temperatures, do not charge them if they are hot

Remove the battery from the unit when done charging and do not cover the battery

Do not keep batteries on a charger once the charging cycle is completed

Keep the battery away from other combustibles

Fire sprinkler systems save lives and property.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Union, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at underground parking garage; No injuries reported

A Stop & Shop in Union is now closed after a fire in the underground parking garage on Sunday.
Authorities say a car fire caused heavy smoke at 1201 Stuyvesant Ave. and the building’s sprinkler system to go off. No one was injured.
Union Fire Department Chief Gregory Ricciardi said repairs need to be made to the sprinklers before the building is allowed to reopen.
There was no damage to the building and minor damage to an adjacent parked car, authorities said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Helena, AL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Publix grocery store; No injuries reported

A grocery store has some minor damage after a fire Monday afternoon.

According to the Helena Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the Publix on Highway 17 just after 12:45 p.m. Monday.

Fire officials confirmed smoke was coming from the restroom area of the store. They say the building’s fire sprinkler system helped put out the fire quickly. Damage was limited to the restroom area.

Store employees quickly evacuated the store, even before firefighters arrived. No one was hurt.

The cause of the fire has not been released.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Clovis, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at mall; No injuries reported

The Sierra Vista Mall is closed for the rest of the day following a fire near Game Stop.

Clovis Fire Department says the fire started around 2:15 p.m.

When crews arrived, they found smoke in the Game Stop area with flames coming from the attic above the restroom.

Officials say the sprinkler system did a good job of keeping the fire from spreading.

Both the City of Fresno and Fresno County Fire Department assisted Clovis with the fire.

No injuries have been reported.

The fire is still under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Virginia, MN – Sprinkler system contained fire at mall; No injuries reported

Fire broke out at the Uptown Mall in Virginia Thursday afternoon.

Pictures from the Northland Fire Wire showed dark, black smoke coming from the building.

The Fire Wire reported that the flames were contained to a storage area thanks to the mall’s sprinkler system.

Multiple area fire departments responded.

Nobody was injured.

The cause is being investigated by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office.

Uptown Mall was formerly known as the Thunderbird Mall.

Other - Retail, Retail

Anderson, SC – Sprinkler system activated for fire at thrift store; No injuries reported

The Anderson City Fire Department said officials are investigating following a fire at a thrift store in Anderson early Wednesday morning.

Dispatch officials said crews responded to a Haven of Rest location on West Orr Street at 1:25 a.m. after someone reported the situation.

According to the Anderson City Fire Department, the fire damaged the building but was mostly contained to a trailer outside. They added that a sprinkler system helped prevent the fire from spreading inside.

Haven of Rest is a non-profit with a discipleship program that focuses on assisting people battling drug addiction. The organization posted the following message following the fire.

The Anderson City Fire Department confirmed no injuries were reported following the incident. However, they are still investigating what caused the fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at grocery store; No injuries reported

A fire inside the Foods Co grocery store on Shields Avenue caused customers and employees to scramble from the store Sunday morning.

The two-alarm fire began on the paper-products aisle shortly after 8 a.m. with flames nearly reaching the ceiling, said a store employee who asked not to be identified. A possible suspect was seen running from the area and out of the store through an emergency exit, the employee said.

The store quickly filled with smoke, while Fresno Fire Department crews arrived within minutes.

Battalion Chief Kirk Wanless said no one was injured and the fire was contained to one aisle with the help of a fire sprinkler inside the store. It took crews about 10 minutes to knock down the fire that started among the toilet paper and paper towel products.

Wanless said the department’s fire investigator was on scene Sunday morning.

The store employee said someone tried tried to light a fire inside the store several months ago but was unsuccessful.

Fire crews remained at the store for several hours, clearing smoke and checking to make sure no one was inside. It was unclear how the fire would affect the store’s hours.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Memphis, TN – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart

An intentional fire set inside a Memphis Walmart caused nearly $2 million in content loss, the Memphis Fire Department said.

On Sunday, the MFD responded to a fire at the Walmart on Austin Peay Highway at 3:11 p.m.

Qwanesha Ward of the MFD said that the fire was intentionally set on Aisle 18 near the electronics department and was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.

However, the fire still led to $1.8 million in content loss and $10,000 in building loss. The store has smoke and water damage.

MFD said that the store will likely be closed until the end of the week.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Canton, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at grocery store; No injuries reported

The Hy-Vee store in Canton remains closed after a fire in a storage area Sunday morning.

At 11:22 a.m. Sunday, the Canton Fire Department responded to Hy-Vee Grocery store at 825 N. Main St. in Canton, for report of a fire in the back of the store. Upon arrival, firefighters found an upstairs storage area on fire with smoke and flames showing.

Hy-Vee personnel had evacuated the building prior to fire Department arrival.

Water supply was established and a handline was used to apply water to the fire. The building’s sprinkler system had activated and was successful in limiting fire spread until fire department personnel were able to extinguish the fire.

The fire was contained to the original storage area. No injuries were reported as a result of this fire.

The fire was brought under control within 12 minutes of the first fire engines arriving on scene, with fire crews remaining on scene till 12:56 p.m. conducting overhaul and fire investigation.

The store has been released by the fire department back into Hy-Vee personnel custody. The store remains closed at this time. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Canton Fire Department’s investigation team.

The amount of damage to the building and contents is still being evaluated.

Other - Retail, Retail

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Dollar Tree store

A snack aisle at a Dollar Tree caught fire Sunday evening, destroying a shelf and damaging part of the building’s ceiling. 

The Central Fire Department posted pictures of the fire’s aftermath Sunday. Officials said the operational sprinkler system inside the store prevented the fire from spreading, and the scene was under control shortly after the firefighters’ arrival.

There was no immediate known cause of the fire, but the CFD encouraged anyone with information about the fire to contact the Baton Rouge Fire Department.

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